The Journey of a Lifetime
by Tobi'sgoodgirllovesSasuSaku
Summary: Fantasy!AU Dark times are closing in...A small band travels across the land to gain the help of the most powerful beasts before they can take on the enchantress Kaguya. "Well then what are we waiting for! Let's go!"
1. The Gathering

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything pertaining to LoTR**

* * *

The moon shone overhead, its light penetrating through the canopy of the trees. A small group moved quickly through the forest despite the axes strapped to their backs; the tallest by at least a head, grumbled as she adjusted her helmet atop her head.

"Why must we meet in the forest," She complained, pushing her pink hair from her face, "Our halls are spacious enough for the elves, not to mention that we wouldn't be nearly as vulnerable there as we are out here."

"Because, my dear Sakura," The leader of the group said, turning to face her, "The elves can be a bit…well…"

"Proud enough to become nothing more than a pack of _dauh_," Sakura suggested, a smirk on her face. The other two companions chuckled, their chainmail clinking together the only sound in the quiet of the forest. He sighed, turning back to face the pathway, making his way towards a clearing in the distance.

"I hope that you will be more amiable to them daughter," He said as they neared the clearing.

"Aw, leave her alone! She's just having a bit of fun Kizashi," One of the companions called out, causing Sakura's smirk to widen. Kizashi merely shook his head as they entered the ring of light around the clearing created by the fire in the center. Sakura glanced over Kizashi's hair to look into the clearing; standing by the fire could be seen three men, each looking similar to the other, their pointed ears sticking out from the black hair framing their faces.

The dwarf group reached the clearing, right arms crossing their chests as they bowed to the elves. "Greetings _daukhel _of the West," Kizashi said, getting up from his bow, "To whom do I address as leader?"

"That would be I," The eldest of the three said, stepping forward. His black hair was short, and there were some lines of his face as Sakura noted; clearly, he was far older than he appeared. "I am Fugaku Uchiha, and these are my sons, Itachi and Sasuke." He said, gesturing towards the two standing beside him.

"Greetings, Lord Kizashi," Itachi said, bowing towards Kizashi. Sasuke mimicked the action, though no pleasantries were exchanged. Kizashi smiled at the boys before turning back to Fugaku, face serious.

"Do you know why the wizard has called us here," He asked; Fugaku shook his head, the fire casting shadows across his face.

"I do not; he merely told us to meet at this time, and that the news he had to tell us was of the gravest importance."

Sakura snorted, arms crossed across her chest. "Well then, if it's so important, why isn't he here now?"

"Sakura," Kizashi hissed, glancing back at her. Fugaku merely raised his hand, a small quirk to his lips being hidden by the shadows.

"Rest Kizashi, for she is young; she is not familiar with Kakashi's lackadaisical ways."

"Or patience for that matter," Sasuke muttered, casting a disdainful glance her way. Sakura growled, glaring at him from across the fire.

"I'm glad you wish to speak now_ dekhel_," She bit out, "For a moment I thought you were mute, though I see now that you're merely rude."

"I speak only when I deem it fit," Sasuke said, facing her, "Something that you apparently must learn."

Sakura growled louder, clenching her fists as she felt Kizashi's eyes on her. The tension between them dissipated though when the bushes rustled; all eyes moved towards the area, some hands even reaching for weapons. Slowly, a blue-cloaked figure appeared, grass growing from his matching hat; small trinkets jinkled as he walked, his staff casting a guiding light for him. He looked up, scanning the clearing; a lone eye crinkled as he smiled at everyone.

"Well, looks like I'm right on time," He said, the light from the staff extinguishing.

"Yes Kakashi, if you call arriving two hours after we have to be on time." Fugaku said a small smile on his face. Kakashi faced him, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yes well, I got a bit lost on the path of life," Kakashi said, "Really interesting path this time around; I think I may have found the answer to-"

"Why are we here," Sasuke interrupted, glaring slightly at the wizard. Sakura smirked as she saw Fugaku cast a disapproving glance at Sasuke; clearly patience did not come easily to him either.

Kakashi turned to look at the young elf, eyebrow raised. "Ah yes, I did forget to mention that to you all didn't I? Very well then," He said, glancing around at the group, "As some of you may have noticed, there have been small disturbances across the land. Nothing major, but there has definitely been a pattern. I took it upon myself to investigate it, and found…well, it's quite hard to say it without causing a bit of panic…"

"Speak, my dear friend," Kizashi implored, "Whatever it is, we can handle it."

"Well then, I'll put it bluntly," He said, "The giant enchantress Kaguya is gathering an army to take back the lost city of Konoha."

At his words the group erupted into fervent mutterings, Kakashi catching snippets of each conversation:

"She's still _alive_?"

"How do we fight a monster like her?"

Kakashi sighed, banging his staff on the ground thrice to gain their attention. The groups quieted down, looking back towards the wizard.

"Now that I have your attention again," He began, "I will tell you that not all hope is lost. The Great War from centuries ago was won, and it can be won again. But it will require cooperation on everyone's parts."

"Kakashi, that war killed thousands of each race," One of the companions in the dwarf group cried out, "You've only called our two clans together; that's not nearly enough manpower! Not to mention that we don't have the heir to fight with us!"

Kakashi's eye crinkled as he smiled. "Ah, but you're wrong; we _do _have the heir. I plan to speak with him tomorrow, and then a quest will be underway to gather forces from everywhere to fight against her."

"And what of the dragons," Kizashi asked, glancing nervously at the fire, "You know as well as we all do that Kaguya used the powers of the Nine in that battle."

"That is also going to part of the journey," Kakashi stated, "It will be the goal of the heir, myself, and two people from your clans to either befriend the beasts for this war…or kill them."

The two groups eyed each warily, waiting for the first to speak up. After a long period of silence, Sakura stepped forward, arm crossing her chest as she bowed before Kakashi.

"I, Sakura Haruno, swear by my forge, that I will join you," Sakura said, eyes still on the ground as she spoke. She swiftly raised herself, looking Kakashi into the eye. Kakashi merely looked towards the elves, raising an eyebrow.

"Well? Who shall join the young Haruno dwarf?"

"I shall," Sasuke said, stepping forward, "Sasuke Uchiha, of the Uchiha from the West, will join you in your quest."

Kakashi clapped his hands together. "Well, glad that's all settled. Sasuke, you will come spend the night with me before tomorrow; Sakura, you shall go back with your clansmen for tonight. Tomorrow, after we speak with the heir, we shall come to your halls and receive you."

"As for the rest of you," He turned towards the group, "Tell your men to prepare. The hour is not at hand yet, but it is quickly approaching. You will all receive a signal from me on when to head to Konoha; in the meantime, be on the lookout for anything strange. Protect your clans."

"Thank you, Kakashi," Fugaku said, before approaching Sasuke. He took him by the shoulders, pressing his forehead against his. "_Alámenë, _my son. May the stars guide you safely back home."

"_Namárië,_" Sasuke said, glancing towards Itachi, "To the both of you. May no harm befall you."

Itachi smiled slightly as Fugaku rejoined his side; Sasuke walked towards Kakashi has Sakura rejoined her group, some of them clapping her on the shoulder as they began to exit the clearing.

"Well, we better head home," Kizashi said, "Have to get you prepared and whatnot for tomorrow."

Kakashi and Sasuke watched as the groups left; soon the only ones left were them and the fire. Kakashi sighed, raising his staff, the black crescent moon glowing as he sprayed water to put out the fire.

"We best get some rest as well. Most likely it will be the last time in a long while we will have a soft bed."

* * *

Dauh: Stupid; fool

_dekhel/__daukhel:_ elf/elves

_Alámenë: _Go with our blessings

_Namárië: _Farewell; be well.

**A/N: *whispers* Is it too late to join the 679 cover bandwagon?**


	2. History Comes Alive

A middle-aged man sat at a wooden table, staring at a piece of parchment as he drank from his mug. He groaned as he ran his fingers through his long white hair, grumbling incoherently as he stared at the blank parchment. He ignored the creaking floorboards, indicating that someone was entering the room; a young blond appeared, yawning and stretching as he entered.

"Are you seriously writing your filth where we eat," He asked incredulously, heading towards the stove. The man's head snapped up in attention, his eyes squinting over at the boy.

"If it weren't for this 'filth' as you so call it, we wouldn't _have _anything to eat you ignorant boy," He grumbled, "It's not like you do anything useful around here."

"That's not true," He shouted, starting up the stove, "I work with the blacksmith Iruka! I may not be as good as a dwarf, but I earn a little money here and there. Not to mention that you keep training me in swordsmanship."

He waved his hand dismissively, "Just make me something to eat Naruto. And don't burn it this time."

Naruto grumbled, pulling out some of the salted meat as he set it into the pan. The man sighed as the smell of pork wafted to his nose; he could almost imagine the scene that he wished to write out, until knocking at the door caught his attention.

"You might want to get that, since I'm busy trying to not burn the meat." Naruto said, moving the meat through the pan. He groaned, pushing away from the table and heading towards the door. He opened the door, bleary eyes blinking rapidly as he adjusted to the stream of morning light.

"Good morning to you Jiraiya," Kakashi greeted, waving a hand; from the top of his hat, a small black and white bird chirped in greeting. Jiraiya blinked again, before a large grin broke out over his face.

"Why if it isn't Kakashi," He said, pulling the man into a hug, "I haven't seen you since you heard I finished my last novel! Have you come to try and sneak a peek at the newest one?" He questioned, waggling his eyebrows.

"Oh no, I'm actually here on rather…official business," Kakashi stated. Jiraiya's face fell as he realized the meaning behind his words.

"It's that time, isn't it," He asked; Kakashi merely gave a nod. Jiraiya sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Well, you should come on in, get some breakfast in you; I'll tell Naruto to put more on the stove since we'll be expecting more company I presume."

* * *

Sakura approached her father's throne, people lining the pathway as she walked. In the crowd she spotted Sasuke; he had been sent by Kakashi to ensure her safe arrival at Naruto's home, despite the fact that she knew exactly where it was since their mountain was so close to his village.

"_I am not pleased with this either," _She remembered Sasuke saying; she stood up a bit taller, hoping that she exuded an air of confidence that would put his arrogance in place.

Kizashi watched as she approached him, his face a mask of calm. On the inside though, he was nervous beyond any recognition; in his mind, he was practically sending his daughter to the slaughterhouse. But as she removed her helmet and knelt before his throne he knew that this had to be done, for he was far too old to take on a journey like this and leave his kingdom. Whereas she, in the prime of her youth, would be able to take on the journey and most likely come back from it alive.

"May the _dorni _give the _gaugaz_ to go on _Tharki _Kakashi's journey," She said, head bent to the floor, "And in my absence, may the _dornat _prosper and be safe."

"Rise, my child," Kizashi said, standing from his throne, "For you have the _gaugaz_."

Sakura stood her helmet under her arm as Kizashi approached her. From a table beside the steps to the throne, he took a small bowl, filled with a purplish liquid. He pushed her hair back gently so that her forehead was clear; he then dipped his fingers into it and painted a small diamond upon her forehead.

"With this mark, I ask the _vaurmornlos _to watch over you, so that one day you may come back to these mountains and wash the mark away with our waters," He said, finishing the painting. He then set the bowl aside and hugged her tightly; she responded, knowing that this would be the last time in a while she could do this.

"Be safe my child," He whispered in her ear before releasing her; she bent to his level so that he could press a kiss on her brow. The room suddenly exploded into applause as she stood straight and, with the paint now dried, placed her helmet back on. She walked back down the aisle swiftly, knowing that there was no time to lose; already she saw Sasuke standing at the doorway, and she wondered if he had even stopped to watch the ceremony. When she reached the doorway, she turned back and gave her clansmen a final wave good-bye before exiting the throne room. She shifted her pack on her back before looking over at Sasuke.

"Let's get going," She said, beginning the journey to Naruto's home. Sasuke watched her back for a moment before following silently behind her.

* * *

"You want me to do _what,_" Naruto asked, mouth stuffed to the brim with pork. Jiraiya grimaced, muttering something about manners under his breath; Kakashi merely stared at Naruto, his food having already been eaten.

"You heard me Naruto," Kakashi said, "I want you to go on a journey with me to save the Lost City of Konoha."

Naruto swallowed, taking a sip of his water as well. "Well I mean yeah, I heard you. But…why me? Why not ask someone else from, I dunno, an _actual _army?"

"That I shall explain to you as soon as the other members of our party arrive." Kakashi said, looking out the window, "In fact, I think the ceremony is well over by now, so they should be arriving right about…now."

As soon as he said that, the door to the house opened, with Sakura walking in, followed by a young man dressed in a blue shirt and grey pants; he assumed that was the elf that Kakashi spoke about. "Naruto? I swear you better have saved me some pork; I'm practically starving!"

Naruto jumped up from the table at her voice. "Sakura," He called out, running over to her. He practically tackled her into a hug, earning a hearty laugh from her as she ruffled his hair. He pulled away for a moment, staring at her. "Does this mean you're coming on the quest as well?"

"Well why else would I be in your house, geared for an adventure," She asked, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him into a headlock. He shouted out as she rubbed her gloved knuckles into his head, his arms flailing. Jiraiya carefully moved his food away from the two as Sasuke took a step away from them, edging closer to Kakashi so that he could avoid any bodily harm.

"Oi, I've told you stop with the horse-play in my house," Jiraiya said, "And Naruto, introduce yourself to the young man! Just because you _like _living in a barn doesn't mean I _raised _you in one!"

Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry gramps," He walked over to where Sasuke stood, sticking out his hand. "Name's Naruto Uzumaki; a pleasure to make your acquaintance!"

Sasuke stared at his hand, keeping his own crossed on his chest. "Sasuke," He said in a monotone voice; Naruto's blinked, taken aback by the lack of friendliness.

"Geez, what crawled up your ass and died," He asked, earning him laughter from Sakura and a groan from Jiraiya. Sasuke felt his eye twitch slightly as he pointed a glare towards him.

"I'm not fond of working with others," He stated, eyeing him, "Especially idiots such as yourself."

"Hey, who are you calling an idiot you pointy-eared basta-"

Kakashi cleared his throat, catching the attention of the two. "Well then, now that we've all gotten acquainted, I think it's time I gave the three of you a history lesson so that you know exactly _who _we're up against. And in the case of Naruto, why you were chosen for this mission," Kakashi stated, staring straight at Naruto. Naruto and Sakura sat down, while Sasuke opted to stand against a wall; Kakashi tapped some of the trinkets on his hat in a specific order before waving his hands over the table. Instantly the top of the table became misty, with events from long ago playing out on it; Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise as they leaned over to get a better look.

Kakashi cleared his throat, "Now then, let's begin."

* * *

"_Long ago, during a time where there was no strife or wars, there was a great kingdom called Konoha. In this kingdom, the true ruler of the land lived; under his rule, all the races were united, and the land was prosperous. One day however, the giant enchantress Kaguya ate from a tree in a faraway land; on that day, her soul became corrupted. She wished to rule the kingdom for her own, and so she gathered an army…"_

_Sunlight poured through the stained glass windows of the castle, as a young king looked over papers, his head held in his hands. He pushed away from the table, walking towards the windows to glance down at the city. From his vantage point he could see the cobblestone streets; merchants selling their wares, children playing games, and people going about their daily chores. He slammed a fist against the stone wall, teeth gritting together. _

"I will not let her destroy this," _He said under his breath, turning away from the scene. He walked towards the doorway, signaling to a servant to gather his commanders. He closed the doors, a resounding thud echoing throughout the chamber. _

"_When Kaguya ate the fruit, she begot a power that had never been seen throughout the entirety of the land. With her powers, she created a terrifying beast; the first ever dragon. With this dragon, she led her armies to attack the city, while the king's armies fought valiantly against her."_

_Screaming could be heard as the inhabitants of Konoha ran to hide, while men in armor ran towards the gates to join the fighting outside the city's walls. Outside the city, fire was spread throughout the field as men, dwarves, and elves charged at the giants, blood flowing like a river throughout the battlefield. Kaguya watched the destruction from atop her creation, giving it orders to strike wherever there was a large group; archers tried to take it down, but it would block their strikes with its armored body before flames billowed out of its mouth to annihilate them. _

"_The king knew that it with the beast, it would be impossible to defeat her. So he devised a plan; he gathered the greatest mages of his time and with their powers combined were able to create a spell that would not kill the beast, but instead separate it into nine different entities; these nine entities would then be spread throughout the land." _

_Kaguya smirked as she saw victory at hand as she saw that the Konoha forces were dwindling. Suddenly, a bright light came towards her, and before she had time to even understand what was going on, the beast below her disappeared. As she fell from the sky, she saw that nine lights shot across the land, each going in separate directions. She slowed her descent, landing on her feet, before giving a loud cry as the army of Konoha charged forward with renewed vigor. _

"_The battle raged on, with Kaguya fighting the powerful mages while her forces fought the army. Eventually though, the might of Konoha overwhelmed the giants, forcing them to flee. Kaguya retreated, but not before casting a powerful curse on Konoha that made it uninhabitable until she was defeated; she then disappeared after her army. Many lives were lost, and although the battle was won, in the end the cost was far greater than any benefits." _

"_The king took the mages and devised a plan with them; that temples would be built guarding the Nine, so that anyone who wished to use the dragons for their own gain would have to die trying. However, there would be one exception; when Kaguya would rise once again, the rightful heir would come and bring the dragons to his side. With that in mind, he assigned each mage to where the dragons resided, and then with his family left their beloved home."_

* * *

"And now, the time has come for the rightful heir to fight for his throne," Kakashi stated, looking directly at Naruto. Naruto blinked, seeming to wake up from the daze that Kakashi's story had put him into.

"Wait…you mean…_I'm _the heir," He asked incredulously. Kakashi nodded, his trinkets jingling lightly his movements. Naruto looked over at Jiraiya, still stunned by the news. "Did you know?"

Jiraiya snorted. "Did I know? Kid, I was a guard for your mother and father as they watched over Kurama, the dragon of Konoha. The only reason why we moved all the way out here was because once you were born, we were attacked. While we were able to save you, your parents gave up their lives to protect you."

"They…protected me," He whispered, "They…were part of the royal family?"

Jiraiya nodded. "The king's family decided that they, along with a mage, should be the ones to protect Kurama from any attacks. Right now my old sweetheart Tsunade is watching over that beast," He said, smiling perversely at the thought, "Ah…When you see her, tell her I said hi."

Naruto nodded. "I…I will," He said, before turning back to Kakashi. "So, since we've got this journey to go on, let's decide where we'll go first!"

Kakashi smiled his eye crinkling. "Well let's have a look, shall we?" He waved his hand over the table; the top suddenly became a map of the land. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke crowded over it, wanting to see where they would move first.

"Now, as you can see, we are here," He said, pressing his finger in the center of the map, marking it with an X, "Smack dab in the middle of nowhere. As for Konoha and Kurama, they reside way in the southeast over here," He pressed on a different point, causing another X to reside there.

"Alright, and where are the dragons," Naruto asked, eyes practically glued to the map.

"Well, to the south we have Shukaku, in the middle of the desert; to the southwest, on an island, we have Isobu. To the west, hidden deeply behind a waterfall, we have Choumei."

"By the lands of my clan's woods," Sasuke muttered, looking at the map. Naruto looked over at him, eyes wide.

"So we might get to meet more elves," He asked excitedly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his excitement.

"As long as they don't kill you first," He stated bluntly; Naruto audibly gulped at the thought, directing his attention back to Kakashi's explanation.

"To the northwest, hidden high into the mountains above the clouds, we have Gyuki. To the north, hidden behind treacherous valleys and dangerous mountains, we have Son Goku."

"Ah," Sakura interjected, pushing herself closer to the map, "That's where the Oonoki's clan lives!"

"You know the dwarves of the north," Kakashi asked, mildly surprised. Sakura nodded, her eyes focused on the spot.

"My father and I would travel with some of our clansmen to do trading there," She explained, "I can't wait to see them again! It's been such a long time."

"We're not exactly doing this journey to exchange pleasantries," Sasuke interjected, glancing over at her. Sakura rolled her eyes, looking over at him.

"It would help to get on their good side if we're going to war," She countered, a frown on her lips as she looked at him. Sasuke merely grunted in response before turning his attention back to the map.

"As I was saying," Kakashi said, returning to the topic, "To the northeast, hidden beyond the forests and in the caverns, lays Saiken; to the east, as far as the border goes, we have Matatabi."

"Hey…you said there were nine, yet I only counted eight," Naruto said, looking suspiciously up at Kakashi.

"Yes well, unfortunately Kokuo landed in Kaguya's territory, meaning that she already has one of the Nine." Kakashi explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "The spell was meant to distribute them, and unfortunately Kaguya's territory _is _part of the land. It lies just beyond the Northern Mountains where, as Sakura pointed out, Oonoki's clan lives."

"Well then, if she's already got one, then what are we waiting for," Naruto shouted, standing up, "Let's go get those dragons!"

"It's not as simple as that Naruto," Sakura said, shoving him back down into his seat, "We have to decide which direction to go first."

"Well then let's go south and work our way clockwise throughout the land," Naruto said, pounding his fist onto the table. Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples as she looked at the rest of the group for help.

"It's not a bad idea," Kakashi stated; Sakura turned her attention to Sasuke, waiting for him to speak. He merely shrugged and gathered his things, heading for the door.

"The sooner we get this done, the sooner we can return to our normal lives."

"Alright," Naruto shouted, jumping up, "Then let's get moving!"

* * *

"They've begun to move milady," A giant said, kneeling before her throne. The woman with long white hair stroked the head of the dragon splayed at her feet; its scales sparkled like freshly fallen snow, its eyes closed in contentment. A smirk played on her lips as she decided upon her final answer.

"Then we shall have to beat them to it," She stated, "Have my special forces come to me immediately. I have specific orders that I must give them."

"Of course your majesty," He said, bowing. He immediately left to spread the news among his ranks, closing the door behind him. She smiled, scratching underneath the chin of the dragon.

"We won't let anyone disturb my plans to bring peace, will we Kokuo," She asked, staring at the dragon. The dragon opened his eyes, revealing blue-green irises staring back at her as it growled its agreement.

"_No one shall get in your way Lady Kaguya. I give you my word," _Kokuo telepathically spoke to her, causing a small smile to grace her lips.

"I'm glad you think that way dear." She purred.

* * *

_Dorni_: king

_Gaugaz_: blessings

_Tharki: _mage

_Dornat_: kingdom

_Vaurmornlos_: deities

**A/N: So who's excited for the next chapter of the manga?! *raises hand excitedly* **


	3. The Journey Begins

"Wonder what the boss wants us for, un." A young blond man asked, looking over at his red-headed partner. A metal patch covered one blue eye, the other searching his companions brown eyes for an answer.

"I don't know," His companion began, "But since Lady Kaguya is summoning all of us, it must be something important." He finished, looking around at the small group heading towards her throne room.

"Well then, I hope we get to destroy a lot of stuff," The blond said, eye glinting in delight, "It's been a long time since we've pillaged, eh Sasori?"

"It's never been pillaging," Shouted a young man from the back of the group, silver hair glinting in the dim light, "We've always been purifying the world of heathens!"

"Ah, shut it Hidan, yeah," The blond waved his hand dismissively in his direction, "You're as bad as Kakuzu, except he actually makes a profit."

"Someone has to, since slackers like you don't do anything Deidara," Kakuzu muttered, his voice slightly muffled by the mask that he was wearing. Deidara turned and glared at him, a scowl on his lips.

"Hey, I make beautiful pottery that I sell down in the villages un," He shouts, waving his fist, "While all you do is plunder and sell stolen items, my work can be seen in the halls of kings!"

"Enough," A young man with spiked orange hair said as the group reached the door, "We're here."

The blue haired woman beside him pushed the doors open, revealing Kaguya sitting on her throne, Kokuo curled by her feet. The group walked in and, once in front of her throne, knelt before her.

"All hail the Lady Kaguya," They said in unison, heads bowed respectfully.

"Rise," Kaguya commanded; they immediately did so, facing her. She waved her hand, mist circling in front of her; slowly it began to solidify into a mirror. With a quick snap of her fingers, the mirror showed Kakashi and the group riding through the plains on horses, headed for the desert.

"I have news that the wizard Kakashi has finally made his move to take back the city of Konoha. Thus, with the help of you, the Akatsuki, I plan to reclaim the Nine so that I may be the one to claim the city as my own."

"Heh, they don't look so tough," Deidara muttered, squinting at the scene, "Especially the blondie and pinky; I could probably snap their necks without them even knowing."

"Do not underestimate them," Kaguya said, though her voice seemed to boom throughout the room. Deidara bowed his head, stepping back in line; Sasori gave him a disdainful glance before refocusing on Kaguya.

"Now," Kaguya reclined back in her throne, "You will operate as either pairs or as groups, working to bring back the most compliant of the dragons. After consulting with Kokuo, we have decided that this is the best course of action. Thus, your assignments are as follows: Sasori and Deidara, go to the island in the Southwest and retrieve Isobu."

The scene on the mirror changed, suddenly showing a large dark blue dragon covered in spikes; it raised its head, exposing its dark purple underbelly, opening its mouth as a shower of water came shooting out of it.

"Aren't dragons supposed to…you know, shoot fire," Deidara asked, rubbing the back of his neck. Kokuo raised his head, his body moving so that his snout was mere inches away from Deidara's face.

"_The Great Dragon could do a number of different feats with Lady Kaguya's power," _Kokuo stated, _"When he was split into nine different beings, each was given a different power. His just happens to be water manipulation instead of fire." _

"Uh-huh…" Deidara said, backing up due to being unnerved by the dragon. _"Can never get used to that telepathy thing, yeah," _He thought to himself.

"_You should learn to," _Kokuo said, a smirk on his face as he returned to Kaguya's side. Deidara blinked; taken aback that he had heard him. Sasori sighed as he watched the confrontation; he turned back to Kaguya and bowed.

"We will leave as soon as you dismiss us milady," He said; Kaguya smiled, stroking Kokuo's head gently.

"Good; now then, to the west in the waterfalls I want Pein, Konan, and Kisame to capture Choumei," She said, turning to them. The mirror showed a large green dragon with yellow wings, flying around the skies of the forest. "As for the elves, I will contact Lord Danzou to see if he is willing to send forces to aid us. I assume this is acceptable?"

"Of course milady," the three said together, bowing. Kaguya laced her fingers together, turning to the last three before her.

"As for you, Hidan and Kakuzu," She waved her hand, changing the scene on the mirror; it showed an ice blue dragon, seemingly having no eyes, resting in a cave "Go to the northeast, and bring me Saiken. I expect you two to be the first to succeed."

"You can count on us," Kakuzu said, bowing before her. She waved her hand, the mirror shattering before them. The glass however hovered in the air, before changing shape into small jewels; each jewel floated towards a team, who reached out and took them.

"These are to get the dragons to cooperate with you," She explained, "Force it into their mouths, and they will follow any orders that are from me. Now go, and get me the dragons!"

"Yes milady," They said, before disappearing in puffs of black smoke. Kokuo looked up at her, his snout brushing against her hand.

"_May I ask a question, Lady Kaguya?"_

"Speak, dear Kokuo," She said, stroking the top of his head. Kokuo heaved a sigh, leaning into her touch as he spoke.

"_Why send Deidara and Sasori down to Isobu when they could easily capture Son Goku here in the north?"_

Kaguya's lips quirked into a smirk as she looked down at the dragon, "Because I wish to send Kakashi a warning, as well as possibly kill those fools before their journey has even begun."

Kokuo snorted, head resting in her lap. _"You are a strange one indeed." _

* * *

"So Sasuke," Naruto began, tossing his head in the direction of the elf, "What are the elves like? Do they eat meat? Can you do weird magic like Kakashi can?"

Sasuke sighed; at least an hour into their trip, Naruto had begun asking multiple questions about every topic that could even _remotely _relate to their quest. By now the sun had reached the middle of the sky, and Sasuke felt like his ears were about to fall off from Naruto's incessant chatter.

"Well for one," He began, "The elves like _silence_, and enjoy _quietly_ pondering the nature of the world." He stated, hoping that Naruto would catch his drift and silence himself; however, Naruto didn't seem understand subtlety, for his face screwed up in thought for a mere moment before voicing his opinion again.

"Well that sounds boring; at least the dwarves know how to throw a party!" Naruto said, grinning as he remembered the feasts with the Haruno clan. "But hey, answer my other questions!"

"Yes, we eat meat, although it's not that large a part of our daily meals," Sasuke said, pinching the bridge of his nose; the sooner he answered, the sooner the blond would be quiet. "As for magic, for a human it may _seem _like magic, but it is nothing when compared to the feats that a true mage can perform."

Naruto nodded, sincerely taking in Sasuke's words. "So what you're saying is that the only special things about you are your big ears?"

Sakura watched the interaction; perhaps it was a trick of the wind, but she _swore _she saw Sasuke's ear twitch in annoyance, almost like the pony she rode. She did however note that his hands tightened on the reins of his horse and, sensing a possible fight, decided it was time to speak up.

"Naruto, you _dauh,_" She said, catching his attention, "Anyone with half a mind knows that the elves have strength and speed that far surpass even the best human warrior. Not to mention that the swords they create are both the deadliest and the most beautiful weapons to be seen."

"You've seen our craftsmanship," Sasuke asked, eyebrow quirked in question. She shook her head, hands fiddling with her reins.

"Not in person," She explained, "There were some books scattered throughout the village and halls of the mountain, but whenever the blades were described it sounded breathtaking."

Sasuke smirked to himself, feeling a slight swell in his ego at having someone admit their work was better. "Perhaps, if there are any times of relaxation, I shall show you my blade."

Sakura's eyes lit up, causing another boost to his ego. "You'd be willing to show me?"

"Hey hey, can I see it too," Naruto asked, eyes equally wide. Sasuke scowled, glancing over in his direction.

"A few minutes ago you thought the only thing I contributed to the world was my ears," He said pointedly. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish look on his face.

"Well yeah, but that was before I found out all this cool stuff," Naruto explained, "Which, by the way, you should've just told me when I asked!"

"Perhaps if you were quieter, I'd be more willing."

"Well maybe if you were friendlier, I'd be quieter!"

Sakura sighed, rubbing her temples. _"A long journey lies ahead of us." _

* * *

Far in the west, an elderly man walked away from a meeting room, a cane supporting his weight; the murmured sounds of voices floated towards his ears. His right eye was covered in bandages, black hair falling over it somewhat. The white robes he wore moved silently with him as he moved throughout the halls towards his room. As he reached the door, he took out his keys; inserting them into the lock, he glanced slightly behind him as he opened the door.

"I trust that you'll ensure I have absolute solitude," He asked aloud; a pale man dressed in a black cloak appeared from the shadows, a slight smile on his face.

"You have nothing to fear, Lord Danzou," He said, his black hair peeking out from beneath his hood. Danzou merely grunted in response, entering the room.

"My boy, I've moved beyond having fears."

* * *

Kaguya watched as the mirror sparked to life, the face of Danzou appearing before her; Kokuo bowed his head as he appeared, Danzou mirroring the action.

"You wish to speak with me, Kaguya?"

"Kakashi has begun his quest," She stated, "I have already sent my men to their locations, and one of them happens to be close to your domain."

"Your men need assistance in obtaining Choumei of the West," Danzou asked, eyebrow raised.

Kaguya smirked slightly. "It is not Choumei I need assistance in; rather, it is the pesky Uchiha that guard the area. They are a rather annoying group, and they've already given their allegiance to Kakashi."

"Therefore you desire them to be eliminated."

"I desire nothing in this world, Lord Danzou," Kaguya said, "I _expect _their elimination to occur. Otherwise, you can consider our agreement annulled."

Danzou bowed his head, "Of course, Lady Kaguya. I shall send my best troops to meet your men."

"Very good," Kaguya nodded, lacing her hands in her lap, "Also, as you may have guessed, Kakashi's group will come through that area; travelling in the group is an Uchiha elf."

"You wish for an ambush in the Uchiha forest?"

Kaguya smirked again. "As I said before, Lord Danzou; I don't wish or desire, I _expect." _

* * *

**A/N: Much plot. Very filler-seeming. So little action. Wow. **


	4. Tensions Rise

Naruto yawned, slumping slightly in his seat as they continued on towards a town that, according to Kakashi, should be visible "any moment now." He rubbed his eyes as he looked around; trees and grass had become much sparser, and in their places stood sand and boulders. As a result of the lack of shade, the sun seemed to be beating down harsher on them, though Sakura seemed to be the only one not affected by the increase in heat. He moved around in his saddle, trying to get a glimpse of Kakashi at the front.

"Are we there yet," Naruto whined, "We've been traveling for days now, and my butt hurts a lot!"

"We'll be there any moment now," Kakashi repeated. The small bird, which Naruto soon learned was named Rin, looked back at him and chirped. Naruto groaned, throwing his head back.

"But that's what you said the _last _time!"

"Whining isn't going to get us there any faster Naruto," Sakura stated, casting a glance back at Naruto. He narrowed his eyes at her, pouting slightly at her frown.

"Well sorry if we weren't all raised in the heat of the forges," Naruto countered, "Besides, even _Sasuke _looks like he wants to pass out!"

"Do not put me in the same category as you, idiot," Sasuke said, glaring at him. His face was obviously flushed, despite not having complained as much as Naruto; Naruto glared back at him in return.

"Stop acting like you're better than us!"

"Then stop reinforcing that belief."

"Will the both of you shut it," Sakura snapped, whirling around to face them, "Before I come back there and _make _you be quiet?"

Naruto paled, audibly swallowing at the thought. "O-Of course, Sakura! We'd hate to make you do more than you have to, right Sasuke?"

"Hn," Sasuke scoffed, "As if a dwarf like you could force _me _to do _anything_."

Sakura glared at him. "Are you insinuating that you're stronger than me, daughter of Kizashi Haruno, leader of the dwarves beneath the Cherry Mountains?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sasuke could see Naruto waving his arms wildly, attempting to signal him to stop talking. Instead, Sasuke merely smirked as he matched her gaze. "I'm merely insinuating that I wouldn't want to make a girl cry when she fails to beat me."

Sakura's brow furrowed as Naruto groaned. "Well then, how about a challenge, for when we get to the next town?"

"Sakura, I really think-" Naruto began, but was interrupted by Sasuke.

"What kind of challenge do you have in mind, _dwarf_?"

"Sasuke, you really don't wanna egg her on; I mean, she's gonna-"

"It will be a test of strength," Sakura announced, facing forward again, "Simple, yet it shall prove which one of us is more _capable _in making the other bow to their whims, _dekhel_."

"Guys, really, can't we all just hold hands and-"

"Hn, fine," Sasuke said, riding up next to her, "Just promise not to cry when I beat you at your own game, _naugrim." _

Sakura huffed, clicking her heels against her pony's sides; she moved farther ahead, prompting Sasuke to follow her. Naruto groaned, running his hands down his face as he looked at his horse.

"She's gonna break his arm tonight, isn't she Gama," He asked aloud. Gama merely snorted as he followed after the trio ahead of them.

* * *

"Man, are we fucking _there _yet," Hidan complained, running a hand through his silver hair. "We haven't seen another person in _weeks_."

"According to the map, the temple of Saiken is at the top of the mountain," Kakuzu murmured, glancing up at the peak. It was covered in clouds, hidden from their view; from what they could tell though, it would get colder as they went up, judging by the snow that they could see.

Hidan groaned, throwing his head back. "So you're telling me we have to get off the horses and fucking _climb?"_

"We'll be at the top by nightfall," Kakuzu stated, continuing onward. Hidan threw his hands in the air angrily as he followed after him.

"If I get frostbite I'm fucking sacrificing _you _to Jashin, asshole! Fuck this shit!"

* * *

"_Quite a mouth on that one, eh Utakata,"_Saiken noted, lazily looking in the direction of a young man dressed in robes that matched the icy blue of his scales. Utakata hummed in response, blowing a bubble from his pipe as he watched the duo in the large bubble.

"It is rather chilled up here," He stated calmly, removing the pipe from his mouth. He felt a rush of air as Saiken exhaled through his nostrils, resting his head closer to Utakata.

"_You've never complained before." _

"I'm not complaining; just merely making an observation."

Saiken yawned, teeth glinting in the light that was offered in the room. _"Observations tend to be made only when it is pleasing to the eye or unpleasant to the senses." _

"Which is why we're watching these two," Utakata said, moving them back to the topic at hand, "You say they are Kaguya's men?"

Saiken nodded, resting his head on his claws. _"Kokuo has either forgotten that we are all linked, or he is trying to make amends." _

"It's not his fault he landed in Kaguya's territory," Utakata pointed out, bringing the pipe to his lips, "Rather it's the wizards fault for not creating incantations that had specific locations for each of you. Pretty careless if you ask me; if we were unlucky, _all _of you could've ended up in Kaguya's lands."

"_Magical trajectory estimation is quite harder than you imagine," _Saiken noted as Utakata blew multiple bubbles, _"They couldn't control it, unlike you and your bubbles." _

"Yes well, it was rather on the spot," Utakata said, watching the bubbles float in the air. He snapped his fingers, creating a blizzard within the confines of them. He swiped his hand through the air, causing them to move towards the larger bubble that showed Kakuzu and Hidan now leading the horses up the mountain, the path having become too dangerous to ride on. He flicked them into the larger one; instantly, snow began falling on the duo, the wind picking up as it blew their cloaks in every direction. Utakata smirked as he heard Hidan shout obscenities.

"That should keep them busy for a little bit," He said, standing up from his sitting position. He began heading farther into the cave, prompting Saiken to stand and follow him, both walking deeper into the darkness. Utakata's voice echoed in the cave as they turned a corner towards their destination.

"Let us prepare a proper welcome for our guests."

* * *

"_Kakuzu_," Hidan roared over the howling wind, "I swear to fucking Jashin that after this is over, _your head is mine_!"

"Quiet," Kakuzu snapped back, "Your shouting keeps spooking the horses."

"Oh, like this fucking blizzard from _hell_ isn't doing just as good a job!" Hidan retorted. He growled as his horse pawed nervously at the ground, its skin rippling each time hail hit it. He tugged the horse forward along the path, careful to stay as far away from the edge as possible. Kakuzu rolled his eyes, stroking his horse's nose as he continued onward just as carefully.

"While the blizzard isn't helping us, it is a sign that we're close."

"How is it a sign that we're close," Hidan shouted, pulling his hood over his head again; the wind however instantly knocked it back off, earning a string of curses from Hidan.

"Because it means that they can see us," Kakuzu said, trudging through the snow, "And if they can see us, that means we're within the range of their magic."

"Don't they have control over this whole mountain?"

"Yes," Kakuzu admitted, "But the closer we get, the more magic he'll use, which will result in harsher conditions."

Hidan grinned maniacally at the thought of reaching the top. "And the more magic he uses, the more tired he'll be. Meaning it will be that much easier to tip him apart limb from fucking limb!"

Hidan's voice echoed throughout the mountain; in the distance, a rumbling could be heard. Kakuzu sighed, looking back at him.

"Sounds like we'll be digging our way to the top in a moment."

* * *

"Alright, this is where we'll stop for tonight," Kakashi said, stopping in front of an inn. The outside looked dingy, the sign proclaiming it as such practically falling off its hinges. Naruto wrinkled his nose, eyes squinting as well.

"Looks rundown," Naruto commented. Kakashi sighed as he led his horse forward, the rest of the group following suit.

"Well Naruto, considering that Suna is on the edge of a desert, this inn probably doesn't get many visitors," Kakashi explained, handing his reigns to a stable boy.

"And the visitors they do get only care about the ale," Sakura added in, taking off her helmet and shaking her hair free.

"Well, as long as they have a soft bed and something to eat, it's all fine by me," Naruto said, dismounting from his horse. Sasuke did the same, approaching Sakura as he led his horse to the stables.

"So then, what is this challenge that you wish to partake in," He asked, looking at her.

"A good ole' fashioned arm wrestling match," Sakura announced, grinning as she flexed her bicep, slapping a gloved hand on it. "Tis a true test of strength if you can beat a dwarf in this match!"

"Hmph, count me out then," Sasuke said, heading the stables. Sakura stared at him, mouth slightly agape; she regained her composure and angrily followed him.

"What do you _mean_, 'count me out'," She demanded, "You agreed to this challenge!"

"I agreed to a _challenge_, not an uncouth childish escapade," Sasuke clarified, putting his horse in the stable. He closed the stall door, stroking the horse's nose; the horse leaned into his touch, whinnying softly. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, cheeks puffed out.

"Hmph, guess the old saying is true," She muttered, "Wherever there are elves, there are lies."

"And dwarves are as hard-headed as stone," He retorted as he passed by her, "If you wish to engage in a _real _challenge, just let me know."

Sakura growled, suddenly grabbing his upper arm and spinning him around to face her. Naruto cried out as she grasped Sasuke by the collar, pulling him in close to her face, their foreheads almost touching.

"Look here you pompous ass," She spat through gritted teeth, "I've reached out to you with a challenge between comrades; while clashing swords is always a good way to get to know someone, in times like these, a simple affair over a pint of ale works just as well."

He stared at her indifferently. "I never asked for your camaraderie; I merely want to get this over with as quickly as possible, without having to spend much time with either of you."

"You little," Sakura pulled her fist began, only to be halted by Kakashi grasping her arm.

"Enough, Sakura," He said, separating the two, "Why don't we all go get settled into the room? I've made sure it's big enough that nobody has to be in anyone's breathing space tonight."

"Even being in the same village as him is far too close," Sakura scoffed, heading inside. Kakashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he followed her in. Sasuke watched, merely brushing himself off and straightening his clothes.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed," Naruto asked, coming up beside Sasuke. Sasuke glanced over at him, an eyebrow raised.

"As if she could kill me," He said, beginning to head inside. Naruto grabbed his arm, pulling him back to his side, earning an annoyed glare from Sasuke.

"No Sasuke, I mean it; I grew up near her clan, and turning down an offer like that is almost as bad as insulting her dad!"

"Why should I care," He asked, ripping his arm from Naruto's grip. Naruto looked at him exasperatedly, almost as if he were a child asking the same question for the hundredth time.

"Because we're probably going to be on this quest for a _very _long time," Naruto shouted. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Look, if you're not willing to do it for the fact of making friends, then do it for the fact that when we get stuck in a battle she's going to save your ass!"

Sasuke merely grunted, heading inside; Naruto stared at his retreating form in disbelief. He threw his hands into the air before plopping himself onto the ground.

"Those two are gonna be the inadvertent death of me," Naruto whined.

* * *

The wind howled as the blizzard continued to rage; Hidan grasped at the entrance to the cave, eyelashes and hair covered in frost and ice. Kakuzu brushed the snow off his cloak, lighting a torch.

"About time you got in here," Kakuzu muttered, heading inwards. Hidan followed after him, leaving his horse next to Kakuzu's.

"You fucking ditched me," Hidan said in disbelief, "After all the shit we've been through, you fucking ditched me on the top of a mountain! _In a blizzard_, nonetheless!"

"It was either that or I spear you through the heart," Kakuzu shrugged, "And you enjoyed that far too much last time, so I figured this was a much more suitable punishment."

"How did I get so fortunate to have you as a partner," Hidan drawled sarcastically, walking beside Kakuzu.

"Because the both of us would kill anyone else," He stated. Hidan shrugged, following him as they continued down the passageway. As they walked, Hidan noted that the air was damp and chilled, making it more difficult to breathe; the walls seemed to be closing in, and with the heaviness of the air it almost seemed that the entire cavern was closing in on him. As he was wondering what it would feel like to be crushed by air, Kakuzu stopped suddenly, causing him to run into his back.

"A little warning would have been nice," Hidan grumbled, rubbing his forehead. Kakuzu ignored him, focusing on something unforeseen.

"Do you hear that," He murmured. Hidan looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"Hear what?"

Kakuzu ignored the question, snapping his fingers; in an instant, the fire on the torch was sent to hidden torches in the walls, revealing that their narrow passageway was actually a circular room. Hidan looked around, examining how the room was covered in different glyphs; he recognized it as the Old Language used by wizards in writings for spells and protection.

"Wonder what this is all about," Hidan wondered aloud. Kakuzu kept his eyes straight ahead, his body tense. Hidan noticed and followed his gaze; standing in the center of the room stood a golem made of what appeared to be ice. The creature turned its gaze towards them, its eye sockets emitting an eerie green-blue light.

"Who goes there," It rumbled, its voice practically shaking the cavern. Hidan drew his scythe, his body tensing as well while Kakuzu formulated a plan.

"Hidan," He finally said, "I'll need distractions."

Hidan grinned, "I'm your man."

He charged at the creature, scythe raised behind him. It roared, swinging one of its massive hands in his direction; he jumped upwards, dodging the fist as it crashed into the ground and landing on its arm. He ran up the beast, scythe dragging behind him; powder from the ice flew out behind him, the blade leaving deep crevices in the ice. The golem swung his other hand towards Hidan, going to grab him in an attempt to crush him. Hidan noticed the hand coming towards him and dug his scythe into the ice; as the hand came swinging towards him, he vaulted back, his hands holding onto the staff of the scythe.

"Heh, gonna have to try harder than that," He said, grinning as he swung to the ground. He yanked his scythe from where it was lodged, leaving behind three gouges in the arm. He raised the scythe and swung, effectively chopping off a few fingers from the beast.

The golem roared in pain, the light in its eyes growing brighter. A light began to grow from its open mouth, Hidan watching in fascination. Suddenly, the light shot out from its mouth, causing Hidan to leap off the arm to avoid the blast. He looked back over his shoulder to see that the gouges he had created were suddenly coated over in ice.

"Sweet Jashin," He shouted, looking back at Kakuzu, "This thing shoots ice!"

"I noticed," Kakuzu said, his concentration not breaking. His mind formed the words as his hands continued their movements; he felt the power flowing through him as he continued watching the battle. "Just keep him distracted."

"Right," Hidan muttered, looking back at the beast, "Distracted."

It stood, its head barely touching the ceiling; it began walking towards Hidan, its foot rising in an attempt to crush him. Hidan dodged, the falling foot creating a massive dust cloud in its wake. He grunted, glancing up at the golem, trying to figure out how the best way to fight it now that it was standing. The golem continued its advance towards Kakuzu, determined to destroy anything in its path.

"Fuck," Hidan shouted, running towards it. He jumped off the ground, swinging his scythe so that it lodged itself in the lower back of the golem. It roared, its body swaying and arms swinging behind it to try and dislodge him. Hidan held tightly to his handle, waiting until a hand came close to him. He then dragged his scythe across the back, swinging so that he landed on the wrist of it; it swung its arm into the wall, attempting to crush him against the rocks. Hidan swung and hung to the other side of the arm that hadn't been smashed, clinging desperately to the slippery ice. With each swing of the arm, Hidan felt his grip loosen, until finally he went flying across the room, his scythe still lodged in its arm. He crashed into the far wall, groaning as he slid down the rocks. He looked up, watching as it began to advance on him; as it reached the center of the room, the golem was suddenly engulfed in flames that were shot from each torch in the room. It roared as it was melted, slowly becoming nothing more than a puddle in the floor with Hidan's scythe in the middle.

"You couldn't of done that any sooner," Hidan panted, glancing over at Kakuzu. Kakuzu waved his hands, moving the water into the air; with a snap of his fingers it was dispersed into a mist that covered the room. Hidan stood up, groaning as he walked over to his scythe.

"I had to wait for the right moment," Kakuzu muttered. Hidan picked up his scythe, stretching his back afterwards. In the silence of the room they heard clapping; turning, they both saw as Utakata walked into the room, carrying his bubble pipe.

"Very good," He murmured, eyeing the both of them, "But that is to be expected of Kaguya's men."

Hidan grinned, getting into a crouched position. "Alright Kakuzu, now it's time for _you_ to be the distraction."

* * *

Sasuke hated the tavern that the inn offered; it was loud, smelled of drunken men who had no dignity, and had dim lighting that could practically be considered darkness. He couldn't understand how Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura were having such a wonderful time in this disgusting place; he watched as Naruto threw back an ale, getting claps on the back from other men for being able to hold his pint. He watched as Kakashi quietly sat in the corner, seemingly sleeping but always alert, thanks to Rin who sat on his shoulder. The one he hadn't been watching though was the one he should have been watching the closest, considering that she was the only female of their group.

"Did you just call me a wench," Sakura shouted, grabbing a man by the collar of his shirt.

"'Course I did," The man slurred, "The only girls here are the one's servin' the ales or servin' the males."

A roar of laughter rose from the men surrounding them; Sakura gritted her teeth as she suddenly gave the man a hard head-butt. The men around them laughed even louder as he fell back on the floor, clearly unconscious from the hit. Men clapped her on the shoulder, congratulating her on the hit, telling her that 'somebody needed to knock some sense into him'.

"You see what I mean now," Naruto commented, snapping Sasuke out of his thoughts. He looked back at the blond, noticing that his cheeks were flushed and there was a glaze to his eyes. He rolled his eyes, directing his attention back to the activities of the tavern.

"You've had too much to drink," He stated. Naruto groaned, plopping down next to Sasuke and swinging his arm around his shoulder, much to Sasuke's chagrin.

"But you _see _it, don't ya," He asked, the smell of alcohol strong on his breath. "This is how she bonds with people."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, "Quite a different tactic than the elves."

"Well we all can't be as high and mighty as you," Naruto said, slapping him on the back. Sasuke rolled his eyes, glancing over at him.

"What _was_ your purpose coming over to me anyway," He asked. Naruto scratched his head, looking up at the ceiling as if it held the answers he sought after.

"Dunno…I think to tell ya to give her a chance or somethin'," He mumbled.

Sasuke pushed Naruto's forehead, causing him to sprawl backwards on the bench, a stupid grin on his face. He stood up, heading over to where Sakura sat drinking and talking with the other patrons. Her eyes narrowed as she looked up at him, arms immediately crossing over his chest.

"What do _you _want," She asked, her legs crossed as well. Sasuke mentally sighed, not believing that he was about to actually undergo this _childish _ordeal.

"I accept your challenge from earlier," He muttered, sitting across from her. He saw as her scowl changed into a grin as she turned to face him.

"Ah, so you've finally gathered the courage to test your strength against the Haruno dwarf," She said, resting her elbow on the table, arm ready. He rolled his eyes, his hand clasping hers as he positioned himself.

"Let's just get this over with."

"Aye, so we've a wrestlin' match over 'ere," A man shouted, turning to watch, "I'll be the judge, to make sure none of you's cheatin'."

"Ready when you are," Sakura said, the grin still on her face. Sasuke rolled his eyes as the man counted down; he placed enough force in his hand that he believed should be able to keep her at a standstill for a little bit. As the man said the number one, he clenched his hand around hers and pushed; to his astonishment though, in a few seconds she had already slammed his hand down into the table, earning her cheers from the other patrons.

"You cheated," Sasuke accused, eyes narrowing. Sakura stuck her tongue out, eyes twinkling in the firelight of the lamps.

"A dwarf never cheats my friend," She said, "But, to soothe your bruised ego, how about we give it another go?"

"Hn, fine by me," He said, readying himself. She clasped his hand again, staring straight into his eyes. He ignored the crowd that had gathered around them, opting instead to focus on how the determination in her eyes and the lamp light seemed to bring a sparkle to her eyes that reminded him of the stars from home.

For a moment, as they began counting down, he wondered what her eyes would be like with the fire of anger at having lost to _him _of all people. But as quickly as the thought came it left, leaving him to focus on the task at hand: Beating Sakura at her challenge.

* * *

"Have you recuperated enough yet," Kakuzu asked, sliding atop Saiken. Hidan groaned, pushing himself up to a sitting position. He stretched his back and shoulders as he slowly stood up, ignoring how blood was pooled around him. In the corner, Utakata's body lay motionless, his features practically unidentifiable given how much blood he was covered in.

"Yeah, ready to go whenever you are," He said, heading over to them. He hopped on top as well and, without any hesitation, the three left the cave to head for the skies; from there, they would head back to Kaguya.

* * *

_Naugrim_: Dwarf (In Elvish)

**A/N: Wheeeeeee, plot development is fun! Also, I apologize if I annoy anyone with what seems to be frenemies between Sasuke and Sakura; tis uneasy ground I write on, this dwarf and elf rivalry. **


	5. Binds and Bonds

**Disclaimer: I also happen to not own the Ancient Language used by Paolini in **_**Eragon. **_

The tavern from the night before was less busy, though there were still quite a few people coming in for food and the rare drink. Sitting at a table with large plates of food eating jovially was Naruto and Sakura; Kakashi merely smiled and nodded politely, while Sasuke sulked next to him.

"Sakura, you really showed everyone here last night," Naruto grinned, "I've never seen so many guys get flipped just from an arm wrestling contest!"

Sakura puffed her chest out, looking triumphant. "Well after seeing a dwarf beat an elf twice in a row of course they'd want to try their luck!"

"And then they all started placing bets," Naruto laughed, "I can't believe there were still people thinking their friends could beat you!"

"It was quite a feat," Kakashi admitted, his plate already empty. Many people in the tavern wondered how he had eaten without removing his mask; others that knew better seemed in awe of his features. Sasuke merely grunted, his arms crossed over his chest. Sakura grinned, reaching over to lightly tap him on the arm.

"Ah, don't feel bad Sasuke," She said, "A hundred or so years without having to fight against something stronger than another elf will make anyone a little soft in the arms."

"I'm anything _but _soft," Sasuke retorted. Sakura merely shrugged, returning to her food.

"If you say so," She replied, "But the results would prove otherwise."

He merely glared in her direction as Naruto laughed.

* * *

Kaguya glanced upwards at the door as it opened; entering was Kakuzu, Hidan nowhere in sight.

"I assume you were successful," Kaguya questioned, her chin resting on her fist; Kakuzu nodded. "And Utakata?"

"He is dead, my lady," Kakuzu answered, Hidan entering the room.

Kaguya smirked, her other hand resting on Kokuo's head. "Ah, then why not come in my dear Saiken?"

The room shook slightly as the dragon walked; he turned towards her voice, his unseeing eyes staring straight into hers. Saiken bowed, his head touching the ground as the rest of his body arched accordingly.

"_It is a privilege to serve you, Kaguya," _He spoke, his eyes looking up towards hers. Kaguya smiled, standing from her throne and walking towards him, Kokuo following behind her respectfully. She placed her hand on his head gently, stroking him gently; a growl of approval rumbled deep in Saiken's chest.

"And it is a privilege for you to join us, Saiken of the Northeast, Dragon of Corrosion," Kaguya said gently, "With you on our side we will surely bring peace to this corrupted world, and once again we may all walk the earth freely."

Saiken heaved a sigh, eyes closing at the thought. _"A lifetime of being closed away from the world…how I dreamed to fly the skies freely, showing that _I _was truly in charge of my life!"_

"And you shall, soon enough love," Kaguya cooed softly, stroking his head; Saiken leaned into her touch. "However, I will need you to do something for me, so that our dreams may merge with this wretched reality."

He looked up into her eyes. _"Anything for my liberator." _

She smiled. "I need you to merge with Kokuo; with your powers combined into one being, nothing can stop us."

"_Our minds will merge as one," _Kokuo added, _"We will be together again, like how it was always supposed to be." _

Saiken smiled to himself, remembering times that were never lonely before the split. _"Yes…I-"_

He stopped midsentence, a nagging feeling in the back of his mind bothering him. A faded memory of a young man with black hair, smoking a pipe that always produced bubbles appeared; nights on a lonely, cold mountain that were never actually cold _or _lonely. Kaguya noticed his hesitation, concern written across her face.

"What is it, dear Saiken," She asked, kneeling before him. He flinched from her touch, backing away slightly.

"_Utakata…"_ He groaned, shaking his head, _"Where…where am I? What have you done to him? _Utakata!_"_

Saiken spat acid towards her; Kaguya dodged, her robes billowing around her as the liquid singed the floor. Kokuo roared, charging towards Saiken; he rammed into the other dragon, knocking him on the ground. Saiken roared and thrashed, working to try and remove Kokuo from him. Kaguya quickly approached them, avoiding the acid on the floor; she knelt before Saiken, cradling his head in her lap as he thrashed.

"_Pömnuria Bjartskular,"_She whispered; Saiken halted his thrashing, looking towards her in awe. Kaguya smiled, stroking up his head as she continued to speak.

"_Bjartskular," _She repeated, "_Eitrum erni maninar orya. Fricai onr eka eddyr."_

Saiken's body relaxed as he rested against her lap, her fingers continuing to stroke his scales. Slowly his mind began to come back to him; all fanciful images of a young man vanished with her words. _"You speak the truth," _He murmured, looking up at her. She nodded, brushing a strand of hair away from his face.

"I never speak lies in the language of old," She replied, "Now please, Saiken, will you help me to save this wretched world?"

Saiken's eyes closed as her fingers continued working, _"I will merge with Kokuo for you." _

She smiled, bending down and placing a gentle kiss on his forehead. "Thank you, _Bjartskular." _

* * *

"I still don't get why you're not wearing your armor into the desert," Naruto said, climbing onto his horse. "What if we run into enemies, or monsters out there?"

Sakura sighed as she finished securing her pack to her pony. "Naruto, I've already told you; we're more likely to die from _heat _than from enemies. Therefore, to reduce the risk, I've decided to not wear the armor."

"But you work in the forges in those clothes!"

"Yes, in _these _clothes," She said, yanking at the simple black shirt that she wore, "Wearing armor in the forges would not only kill us, but it would ruin some of our more intricate patterns on our armor."

Naruto huffed as they began to leave the stables, heading towards the desert. They walked quietly through the village; some of the inhabitants looked at them curiously. Others blatantly pointed and stared, some at Kakashi's trinkets, others at Sasuke, and mainly men staring at Sakura. Naruto pouted, knowing that none of them were looking at him since he was the most normal in appearance out of the four of them. As they neared the edge of the village, an idea occurred to Naruto; just as he opened his mouth to speak, Sakura cut him off.

"No Naruto, I will not take off the rest of my clothes."

Naruto frowned, throwing his head back in frustration. "Aw come on! You're so worried about heat, taking off the rest of your clothes will make you feel even less hot!"

"While that may be true," Sakura began, "It will also remove any barriers between my skin and the sun, giving me horrendous burns."

Naruto groaned, pouting again. "But I'm sure Sasuke would become friends with you _real _quick! Ain't that right Sasuke?"

"An elf knows better than to be tempted by flesh," Sasuke responded, causing Sakura to smirk in triumph. Naruto merely threw his hands into the air, slumping in his seat as he gave up on making the ride interesting as they entered the desert.

* * *

"_They've made it into the desert," _A large beige dragon asked, curled around himself. His body was covered in purple markings, his eyes shining a bright yellow from the dark rings surrounding them. A young red haired man nodded, his legs crossed in front of him.

"They have just entered, so their presence is still weak," He said, "However, when they stop at nightfall, we shall ensure that they do not make it any farther."

"_Why not kill them now," _The dragon demanded, his tail swishing behind him. The man looked back, teal eyes meeting the yellow.

"Because our combined magic does not reach them at this distance," He replied, "_You _of all people should know this Shukaku."

Shukaku growled, curling inward more. _"I despise trespassers in my lands, especially ones that work for Kaguya." _

"They will be dealt with soon enough," He said, facing frontwards again, "You must be patient Shukaku."

"_Patience was never one of my virtues Gaara," _He growled, eyes closing.

* * *

As the day passed, Naruto's group made progress through the desert, encountering nothing out of the ordinary. Far off in Kaguya's territory though, the preparations for the ceremony were finally completed by nightfall. Kaguya smiled as she observed her handiwork; runes covered the walls and floors, each having a specific meaning for the bonding. She glanced over at the door, seeing Kakuzu standing guard.

"Let them in," She commanded. Kakuzu nodded, opening the great doors; through them came Saiken and Kokuo, walking side by side together towards her. She gestured towards the center of the room, indicating that they were to stand there. They followed her hand, eventually reaching the center and facing her. Kaguya knelt to the floor, hands clasped together as she closed her eyes, the moonlight shining upon her hair as she began to utter the incantation.

"_Deloi abr burthro, Bjartskularar rïsa,"_Kaguya began; as she spoke, different runes became illuminated, the room becoming brighter as she continued. _"Brisingr abr burthro, Bjartskularar lífa. Vanyali fra deyjai, Bjartskularar eitha." _

The dragons roared as the runes flew off the wall, circling around them as she uttered the last word. Slowly the runes from the floor rose as well, encapsulating the two dragons within an magic sphere. The runes began advancing towards the dragons, some already beginning to stick to their scales; as the space became smaller, the dragons began to move closer together, until they almost seemed to be one being. Soon the dragons could not be seen, as the runes flew together to form a black wall. Kaguya's eyes suddenly flew open, her palms slamming onto the ground as she shouted the final worlds.

"_Pömnuria vanyali fra Bjartskularar malthinae!"_

The sphere condensed suddenly, seemingly collapsing in on itself. A great roar was heard before the sphere exploded the black walls shattering into nothing more than dust. In the center of the room where Kokuo and Saiken stood now stood a singular dragon, its form more impressive than the two dragons alone. Its scales seemed to glimmer like diamonds; the moonlight causing it to look like it was covered in silver stars. It opened its eyes, revealing light blue eyes that stared directly into Kaguya's.

"_You have recreated me, Lady Kaguya," _It noted, a hint of approval in its voice. Kaguya merely smiled, standing up slowly from the ground.

"It was my pleasure, Gedo."

* * *

"_I can't feel Saiken or Kokuo anymore," _Shukaku said, watching Gaara meditate. Gaara glanced back at him, an eyebrow raised in question.

"Does that mean they've been merged," Gaara asked. Shukaku looked down at his claws, flexing them in uncertainty.

"_It means they've either been merged, or they're no longer with us," _He finally responded after a few moments. Gaara nodded, standing up from his pose and clasping his hands together.

"Well then, we might as well stop that group before they get any closer," He said; a chill wind whipped around him, his hair and clothes flying. He pushed his hands away from his body, causing the wind to spread out of the room and out into the night. Shukaku watched through narrow eyes as Gaara sat back down, resuming his pose.

"_You think setting the temperatures below freezing will stop them,"_ He huffed, _"You should send a thousand sandstorms after them!"_

"We must bide our time," Gaara said, "The desert is vast, and we do not know their specific location. Therefore, we must reserve our powers so that when they get closer, we can definitely eliminate them."

Shukaku merely snorted his disapproval as he closed his eyes, the chill of the night already setting in.

* * *

Naruto shivered again as the wind blew; he turned around and began digging through his pack, looking for the wool cloak that he wore at the start of the trip. He found it, wrapping it tightly around himself in the hopes that it would warm him. The wind blew again, the chill harsher this time, causing him to shiver again as it hit any exposed skin. He glanced at Sakura; despite being wrapped in her cloak, she was shivering as well, though for some reason Sasuke and Kakashi seemed to be unaffected.

"Can we stop for the night," Naruto called out, scrunching his shoulders so that his chin was shielded by the cloak. "It's gotten really cold, and I don't think Sakura or I are built for this kind of weather."

Kakashi glanced back, noticing for the first time that the two of them were shivering. "Ah, of course; I forgot that neither of you had cloaks enchanted for the elements."

Naruto blinks. "You can do that?"

"It is a simple spell, sung as the item is created," Sasuke explained as they stopped, "Elves commonly use it for our cloaks so that we can survive any weather."

"Well I hope you brought a couple extra, 'cuz Sakura and I are freezing over here," Naruto exclaimed, jumping down from his horse.

"Tch, the only thing I can spare is an extra blanket."

Kakashi turned to face them, finished setting up his sleeping area. "I've extra room in my cloak for someone who wishes to join me." He offered a smile on his face.

Naruto grimaced, imaging spending a night lying beside Kakashi. "No offense, but I think I might have to pass on that one."

"We could always fight for Sasuke's blanket Naruto," Sakura said, walking up beside him, "Nothing complicated, just perhaps a good bit of horseplay. It would set the blood on fire real quick."

"No way," Naruto said, "Last time we engaged in horseplay, you nearly broke my rib! I'd rather sleep next to the old man then fight you."

Sakura grinned as Kakashi frowned, a slight protest at the jab towards his age being heard. "Well then, it's settled. I get the blanket, and you get Kakashi."

Naruto grumbled his protests, grabbing his pack and stomping his way towards Kakashi. Sakura smiled, unhooking her sleeping mat and spreading it on the ground. As she positioned her pack to act as a pillow, a rolled up dark green blanket was thrown in her direction. She looked up in the direction it was thrown in, seeing that Sasuke had finished setting up his mat as well.

"Don't destroy it," Was all that Sasuke said before lying down on his mat. Sakura smiled, unfurling the blanket and lying down as well; as she covered herself with the blanket, she caught a scent of damp earth and rich flowers. She blinked, looking at the blanket in wonder.

"_Does this…smell like his home," _She wondered, still staring at the blanket. She relaxed, a soft smile spreading across her face as she lay down, her head resting on her pack.

"_I wish to see it now," _She thought to herself; it was the last thought she had before drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

_Pömnuria Bjartskular_: My Brightscales (Formal for "my dragon")

_Eitrum erni maninar orya_: Those memories are poison.

_Fricai onr eka eddyr_: I am your friend.

_Deloi abr burthro, Bjartskularar rïsa_: Born of earth, dragons rise.

_Brisingr abr burthro, Bjartskularar lífa_: Born of fire, dragons live.

_Vanyali fra deyjai, Bjartskularar eitha_: Dead from magic, dragons leave.

_Pömnuria vanyali fra Bjartskularar malthinae_: From my magic, dragons bind

**A/N: So apparently giants don't have their own language. Whatever, let's just use Paolini's Ancient Language! :D (It does magic *nods sagely*) Anyway, hopefully this was a good chapter…It's one of those awkward child chapters in the lull of action. **


	6. The Desert Village

Shukaku growled as he paced back and forth, his tail flicking across the floor irritably. Gaara sighed as he felt another rush of wind from Shukaku opening and closing his wings; he felt the dragon's desire to go out and kill the group, but as they got closer he knew that it would be best to let the elements kill them.

"_Then why aren't they dead yet," _Shukaku roared, glaring at Gaara. _"Each day we have sent scorching winds to them; each night, the temperatures drop below freezing! We have to go out and-"_

"No," Gaara stated, turning to glare back at Shukaku. "We stay here and do what we can. We are not confronting the enemy."

Shukaku roared, his claw striking towards Gaara; Gaara jumped backwards as a large stream of sand shot up from the ground towards him. Shukaku opened his mouth, a blast of air hitting the sand and creating a miniature sandstorm within the room. Gaara merely stood in the center of it all as Shukaku blended in with the sand, circling around him menacingly.

"I _am the ruler of this land," _He growled, _"Without me you are _nothing _but a little boy pretending to be a mage. You should be _grateful _that I give you some of my power to help beat back enemies; to help your pathetic species _survive _in this land!" _

Gaara exhaled silently, eyes closing in concentration. As he focused his energy, he could sense Shukaku prowling on his right, watching his every movement with his golden eyes. Gaara raised his hands; as they rose, the howling of the wind ceased as the sand stood still in the air. Suddenly, he moved his hands in the direction of Shukaku, prompting the sand to follow. Shukaku roared as the sand pelted him, slowly creating chains that traveled across his body, strapping him down to the floor. He struggled, wings flapping as he tried to break free from the bonds; a frustrated roar left his mouth. Gaara calmly approached him, teal eyes staring him down as he continued to thrash.

"_Release me," _He shouted, _"This is no way to treat your savior!" _

"You're right," Gaara stated, "However, _you _are not our savior. That title belongs to the mage that first controlled and protected you. With your power, _he _created our village; _he _is our savior."

Shukaku quieted down as Gaara continued speaking, "If you do not wish to help us, that is your own decision. But, you should be warned; if _we _die, so do you."

"…_What do you need from me," _Shukaku asked, finally conceding to the situation at hand. Gaara's lips twitched upwards slightly, turning his back on the dragon.

"Strong winds," Gaara noted, "Strong enough to lift even boulders from the ground."

"_And what will you do," _Shukaku questioned as the sand receded from his body. Gaara sat on the ground, crossing his legs in a meditative pose; he placed his hands together and closed his eyes.

"I will do my best to crush them from here," He replied, focusing his energy. Content with the answer, Shukaku stood, shaking himself free of any sand particles. He faced towards the entryway, inhaling; he suddenly exhaled, the wind blasting the doors open as it rushed across the desert. The sand lifted from the ground and followed its path, more and more of it gathering as it sped across the land. Shukaku walked in a circle, finally curling in on himself as he lay down.

"_This better work, mage," _Shukaku growled, eyes closing in concentration to control the wind.

* * *

Naruto panted, hand blocking his forehead as he trudged forward through the sand. They had been traveling through the desert for what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it had only been a few days since they left the village. After their freezing first night, they had a blistering day in the desert, followed by another freezing night; the pattern continued, with today being no different. Kakashi had noted that it was perhaps the work of Shukaku's guardian and that as a result, they should keep their guard up at all times.

"_Guard up all the time my ass," _Naruto thought to himself, shooting a glare over at Kakashi. He was slumped forward on his horse, fast asleep, hat tipped forward so as to keep the sun out of his eyes. During the trip, he had used his magic to keep their canteens filled with water so as to not suffer from dehydration; however, according to him, it wore him out incredibly, thus requiring him to sleep more often. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that he was just exhausted like the rest of them and used his magic usage as an excuse to sleep during the trip.

Naruto cursed as he rolled his sleeve up, the cloth having fallen from his arms moving. After coming into the desert, he had been forced to take off his chainmail and roll his pants and shirt sleeves up as far as they could go in order to stay cool. He noted that Sasuke hadn't fared any better, as his clothes were also rolled to reveal as much skin as possible without taking off his shirt. Naruto thought about taking his shirt off, despite the scolding he would get from Sakura; although he would be more vulnerable, he would also be much cooler, and at this moment in time it seemed to be a fair trade.

"Don't even think about it Naruto," Sakura called as he began to reach for the hem of his shirt. Naruto stomped his foot, whirling around to face her; she walked beside her pony, her black shirt drenched in sweat as well.

"Why not," Naruto whined, "We're going to die of heat before we get there at this rate! I'd rather get some burns than sweat to death!"

"So you'd rather be covered in blisters and be in pain rather than be in the heat, which can be dealt with if you drink water," Sakura questioned, her eyebrow raised. Naruto gulped at the thought of being covered in blisters; it would certainly make the journey less enjoyable than it already was. As he was about to give his answer, a sudden wind blew through the area, blowing sand into his face; he spat onto the ground, some of the sand having gotten into his mouth.

"I'd hold onto your horses if I were you," Kakashi called back, his arms wrapped around his horse's neck; the three looked over at him questioningly.

"Why would we do that," Naruto asked, wiping his mouth. Kakashi merely pointed ahead of them, his hat pulled down even more. As they looked over, their eyes widened as they saw a huge wave of sand approaching them quickly; Naruto quickly jumped onto his horse, holding onto the beast for dear life. As soon as he had, the wind buffeted them harshly, sand blowing in every direction; it seemed like it had a mind of its own, determined to knock them into the wind.

"What is this," Naruto shouted, head ducked down to avoid getting sand in his eyes. He couldn't see anyone else, and for a moment he feared that everyone had gotten blown away.

"Sandstorm," Kakashi called out; Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, "And from the feel of it, one controlled by a mage."

"Why are they attacking us," Sakura called out, trying to calm her pony; the most it had ever encountered was a drizzle back home. "Don't they realize we're trying to help them?"

"Probably not," Kakashi called back, "Anyone entering the desert may be seen as intruders that need to be eliminated."

"Why didn't you tell us this _before _we entered," Sasuke shouted, glaring in what he assumed was Kakashi's direction. He thought he saw shoulders move in a shrug, as well as a pointed hat in the midst of the storm.

"It didn't occur to me that it would be important," He called out. Sasuke could hear Naruto start to shout profanities at the mage; he was half-tempted to as well, except he kept his mind focused on moving forward. Luckily for him, it was almost easy to keep Asca from panicking, as the horse was normally calm and had seen many storms. However, he could hear Sakura struggling to keep her pony under control, the biting winds and stinging sand causing the horse to be frozen in place.

"Varak," She cried, pulling at the reigns and clicking her heels, "We have to move forward!"

She whinnied reluctantly, slowly starting to move forward. As Sakura began praising the pony, the wind and sand seemed to sweep up from below; Varak reared on her hind legs, spooked as the sand attacked her underbelly. Sakura shouted, pulling back on the reigns as she felt the wind start to lift her from her seat.

"_Schist," _She cursed, jamming her heels into Varak's sides so as to keep from flying away. The wind seemed to surround her, working to lift her off her saddle and into the skies; already her bottom was halfway in the air. "Can't you do something Kakashi?"

"I could, but it would tire me out completely," He called, "I'd practically be useless in any future battles today."

"If you don't wish for me to take a few _feet _off your height," Sakura growled, "Then I suggest you do something now!"

Kakashi sighed, muttering about how dwarves were impatient. He raised his staff; the black moon that hung on the edge glowed white before sending out a bright light throughout the area. As the light spread, the wind died down, the sand falling back to the ground; Sakura sighed as she felt her bottom return to her seat.

"Why didn't you do that earlier," Naruto shouted, shaking sand from his hair. Kakashi yawned, slumping forward in his seat.

"Thought you guys could handle it," Kakashi said, tipping his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. Soon light snores could be heard, causing the other three to glare pointedly at him before continuing onwards.

* * *

Shukaku's tail twitched angrily as he glared at Gaara; their previous plan had failed on account of the intruder's mage, yet for some reason Gaara seemed completely calm.

"_Life as we know it is about to end," _He growled, approaching the meditating mage. Gaara merely raised a hand, causing him to halt; Gaara stood, dusting off his robes.

"How can it end," Gaara began, "When their real battle has only just begun?"

"_You know I hate riddles," _Shukaku stated, annoyed. Gaara merely smirked, turning around to face the dragon.

"If Kankurou is doing his job correctly, then those four will be dead by the end of the day."

* * *

After having removed as much sand as possible from their bodies, the group continued moving towards their goal. After the sandstorm, they traveled together closely, in case another wind attack came at them and they needed to be anchored again. Kakashi continued to sleep, having been put in the center of the group considering that he was the most vulnerable at the moment.

"So, what do you think he'll be like," Naruto asked, breaking the silence. Sakura and Sasuke looked over at him, eyebrows raised in question.

"What who will be like," Sakura asked. Naruto rolled his eyes, as if the person in question was obvious.

"Shukaku," He announced, "And I guess, by default, the mage protecting him. I for one think they're going to be kind of mean."

"It doesn't matter what they're like," Sasuke interjected, "The only thing that does matter is getting them to fight alongside us."

"It totally matters what they're like," Naruto protested, "Because then it'll help us decide what the best course of action to convince them is!"

"Naruto is right," Sakura said; Sasuke glared slightly at her. "As for what they're like, I think they're just incredibly protective of each other. I'm sure once we tell them who we are, everything will work out."

"I guess so," Naruto said while Sasuke merely grunted. Sakura sighed, turning her attention back to the land ahead of them; she squinted, noticing a dust cloud rising in the distance.

"What's that up ahead," Sakura asked. Naruto looked ahead, squinting to try and make out what it could be.

"Dunno," Naruto replied, "Sure hope it's not another sandstorm or something."

"Whatever it is, keep your guard up," Sasuke muttered, already reaching for his bow. Naruto and Sakura nodded, reaching for their own weapons. The cloud approached them quickly; when it was a hundred feet away, it began to dissipate. They tightened their hold on their weapons, awaiting any attack from the cloud. As the last of it began to disappear though, there was nothing standing where something should be; Naruto blinked his face the epitome of confused.

"What the hell," Naruto muttered. Just as he spoke, three creatures shot up from beneath the sand around the group; one appeared to be a large salamander, hissing at them. Naruto looked around frantically, trying to locate the other two.

"In the air," Sasuke shouted, pointing upwards. Naruto looked up, just in time to see two humanoid creatures flying in the sky; their chests opened, releasing a rain of knives upon them. Naruto quickly raised his shield, taking cover as the knives hit upon the metal. When the barrage ceased, he quickly held his shield up defensively in case the salamander tried to attack. What he saw however was Sakura charging towards it, holding her axe, seemingly unscathed from the knives.

"Sakura," Naruto called out. Sakura swung at the salamander, her axe aimed at its head; the salamander immediately raised its frill, and as the axe made contact a dull ringing noise could be heard in the area. One of the flying ones, which had red horns and multiple arms, flew down towards her, knives seemingly appearing out of its joints. Sakura jumped out of the way, causing the one in the air to collide with the salamander, arms getting tangled in its body.

"Naruto, get your ass over here," She called out, "Sasuke, any that are flying, shoot them down with your arrows!"

"But-" Naruto began to protest, earning him a pointed glare from Sakura. He immediately silenced himself, jumping off the horse and charging towards the battle, sword and shield in hand. Sasuke nocked an arrow, taking aim at the one that was still in the air; as it began a descent, Sasuke released his arrow. The arrow soared through the air, reaching its mark in the neck of the creature. Instead of falling dead to the ground however, the creature landed and charged towards him, blades appearing from its wrists. Sasuke cursed, jumping from his horse and sending more arrows towards it; each hit its mark, but the creature continued coming. Sasuke dodged as it swung at him, dropping his bow and grabbing his sword instead. He deflected each blow, his teeth grit as it continued to attack.

"These things aren't human," Sasuke shouted as he was pushed backwards by the creature. Naruto was facing off against the horned one, doing as well as Sasuke was in defeating it. Sakura was battling the salamander, whose main weapons were its death and its iron-clad tail.

"They're made of wood and metal," Sakura shouted, jumping back as the salamander snapped its jaws at her. "They seem similar to puppets, so if you hit the joints you should be able to break them!"

"Why not tell us that _before _I wasted arrows," Sasuke shouted, aiming at one of the joints; his sword made contact, the arm separating from the rest of the body, though the other three were also able to make contact; Sasuke could feel the blood begin to seep from wounds, though he could tell they weren't deep.

"I was a bit _distracted _in case you didn't notice," Sakura shouted, swinging her axe to hit the side of the frill; it suddenly flew off the main body, lodging itself far away from the battle in the sand. She then lifted her axe high above her head and slammed it between the salamander's eyes; the wood splintered along the head, as well as other parts of the body splintering from the force of the hit as well. She then ran over to where Naruto was; he had already separated at least two of the arms, but it seemed that no matter how many segments he cut off, more blades would keep appearing.

Sasuke continued blocking and cutting; so far, he had cut off another arm, and only two were left. However, as he moved to remove another one, a blade shot out from the torso of the creature, effectively blocking his attack. Eyes widened, he suddenly felt as the two arms cut across his body, creating deeper wounds on his torso. He jumped back, cursing as the blood stained his clothes. He glanced over at where Kakashi was; to his surprise and chagrin, the mage was still sleeping, the sounds of battle not having woken him up at all. He turned his attention back at the creature, it having charged at him while he was distracted. He parried its blows before jumping back and putting distance between them.

"_Guess it's time for _that," Sasuke thought, watching as it charged towards him again. He coated his hand in his blood, holding it up towards the creature; he focused his energy towards it, imaging it dismantling before him.

"_Tyara harwar," _He shouted; the creature stopped in its tracks before exploding into multiple pieces, its hidden blades becoming visible. Its head flew over to where Sakura and Naruto were fighting, prompting Sakura to look over at him in disbelief.

"And why didn't you do _that _earlier," She shouted, gesturing at the debris. Sasuke panted, grabbing his discarded bow from earlier.

"An elf that hasn't been formally trained is a dangerous elf," He replied, nocking an arrow. He aimed towards the head of the creature that Naruto was fighting. He released the arrow, watching it fly and stick in its head. As it turned its attention towards him, Naruto sliced the head off of it, the rest of the body falling to the ground. Sasuke smirked as Naruto cheered his shield high in the air.

"We did it guys," Naruto proclaimed, "And you said that you couldn't do magic." Naruto jested, jabbing Sasuke in the ribs as he approached them. Sasuke winced slightly, frowning as he looked at the creature on the ground.

"What I did was basic magic taught to all elves at an early age," He replied, "True magic in my clan is only performed by those that have felt true power."

"Ah, a member of the Uchiha clan, eh," A voice noted. The three turned towards the voice, which emanated from the remains of the salamander. The back of it opened up, revealing a young man dressed in a black cloak, the hood covering his hair. He looked up at them, grinning, the purple markings on his face not fading despite the sweat on his face. He stepped out of the creature towards them; they tightened their hold on their weapons, getting into defensive positions.

"Who are you," Sasuke asked, eyes narrowed. The man smiled, pulling out a dagger of his own.

"The name is Kankurou," He replied, "And it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance before you die, Uchiha elf."

"The only one dying today is you," Naruto shouted, charging towards him. Kankurou smirked, punching him in the stomach; Naruto's eyes widened as he was tossed aside, skidding across the sand before coming to a stop.

"Anyone else," Kankurou asked, cracking his knuckles. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other; they figured the only way to defeat him was to use teamwork otherwise they would end up like Naruto. Just as they were about to charge him, a loud yawn was heard; all attention snapped towards Kakashi as he sat up, rubbing his eye.

"Ah, what a nice nap," He commented. He glanced around, noticing the strewn remains of the destroyed creatures. "What happened here while I was out?"

"About time you woke up Kakashi," Sakura shouted, glaring at him. Kankurou blinked, analyzing Kakashi.

"Kakashi," He asked, "As in, Kakashi Hatake, Mage of all elements?"

"And master of only a few," Kakashi added. He stepped off the horse, head tilted to the side. "Who may you be?"

Kankurou immediately kneeled to the ground, Sasuke and Sakura taken aback by the sudden change in behavior. "I am sorry Kakashi," He said, "We did not know it was your group coming to visit."

"You know him," Sasuke asked; Kankurou nodded, standing up.

"When Gaara was chosen as Shukaku's mage, he came for the ceremony," Kankurou explained, "It has certainly been many years since the last time we saw him; Gaara was but a child then, so obviously he wouldn't recognize you coming into our lands."

"Ah, that was all Gaara's handiwork," Kakashi asked, surprised, "I assumed Shukaku had gotten testy and decided to take control of him again."

Kankurou shook his head, a grin on his face. "No sir, since the last you saw him he has gained mastery over the sands. Paired with either Temari or Shukaku, and he makes a very fearsome opponent."

"Well, I'm glad Suna is protected by such a capable man," He replied. "Would you mind leading us there so that we don't see Shukaku himself?"

"Absolutely," Kankurou said, turning in the direction of the village. He began walking towards it, with Kakashi following him; from his position on the ground, Naruto groaned in pain, while Sasuke and Sakura merely watched their retreating backs.

"…What the hell was that," Sakura exclaimed, gesturing towards the two of them. Sasuke merely shrugged, grabbing the lead to his horse and leading him after them. Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes as she went to help Naruto up.

* * *

By nightfall, Kankurou had led them to a group of sand dunes clustered together. He reached into the dune; pulling his arm back, it was revealed that it was a door, with a staircase leading downwards into the ground.

"You'll have to leave your horses up here," He replied. He caught their suspicious glances, causing him to throw his hands up defensively. "Don't worry! The guardsmen will take good care of them!"

"They better," Sakura muttered; Sasuke silently agreed with her. Down they went, the stairwell lit by torches along the walls. After what seemed to be hours, they eventually reached the bottom of the stairwell; a thick wooden door greeted them, its ornaments made of brass. Kankurou pushed the door open, slowly revealing to them a city hidden completely underground. Naruto's eyes widened as he took it all in; the streets were made of cobblestones, full of people bustling about, and in the distance stood a large castle made of stone. Kankurou caught his impressed look, smiling smugly to himself as he began to lead them into the city.

"Welcome to Suna, the city hidden under the sand."

* * *

Tyara harwar: Harm

Varak: Loyal

Schist: Dwarvish equivalent of shit

**A/N: Wheeee, this was hard but great to write! I'm happy with how Kankurou's battle scene came out; the stuff before it was kinda meh to write. But whatever, as long as everyone else enjoys it!**


	7. Royalty's Desires

"Damn it Sasuke, let me wrap it," Sakura shouted, hands on her hips. She was currently standing in front of the bed where Sasuke lay on; his wounds had been taken care of by the healers of Suna, but they had said to change the wrappings every few hours in order to help keep it clean. However, Sasuke was proving to be difficult, as his arms were crossed over his chest as he glared at her.

"I can do it myself," He stated, not letting up. Sakura rolled her eyes, staring at him in disbelief.

"As much as you'd _like _to think you can, you can't effectively wrap it by yourself," Sakura replied, "Therefore, you should let me _help _you instead of being an aggravating prick."

"Who do you think will win," Kakashi asked, leaning over towards Naruto. Naruto stroked his chin as they watched them glare at each other; if Naruto hadn't known any better, he could have sworn he saw heated sparks flying between them.

"I think Sakura will," Naruto finally replied after a moment of thought, "Although he's putting up a pretty good fight."

"Of _course _I can wrap it myself," Sasuke shot back; "You don't think I can use magic to control a piece of cloth to wrap itself around my body?"

"If by wrap you mean choke yourself, then yes, I think you can use it just fine," Sakura retorted. Sasuke huffed, crossing his arms over his chest; he winced slightly, the movement irritating the wounds. Sakura sighed as she noticed how he winced, still in slight disbelief over how stubborn he was being.

"Well the Uchiha are very prideful," Kakashi replied, "Not to mention almost as stubborn as mules."

Naruto snorted. "Ha, have you _met _the Haruno clan? They're basically mules dressed as dwarves!"

"Look, we're not going to always have healers around us," Sakura stated, "Plus, I've been trained back in the village, so I know what I'm doing! Unless, of course, you want to put your trust into one of those two over there," She gestured towards Naruto and Kakashi; the two of them jumped, quickly making it look as if they hadn't been discussing who would win in a match of wills. Sasuke eyed them with a calculating glance, mentally weighing whether it would be good to trust their hands over hers. Sighing, he turned away from them, catching her eye in a dead stare as he made his choice.

"Just be quick about it," He grumbled. Sakura smiled and, ignoring the surprised expressions on Kakashi and Naruto's faces, quickly got to work. She went to her pack, grabbing a fresh roll of bandages and a small container. She approached Sasuke, kneeling before him as she opened up the container; the smell instantly made Sasuke scrunch his nose up in disgust. She began unwrapping the old bandages around his chest, slowly revealing the lithe muscles beneath littered with cuts from Kankurou's creatures. Once the bandages were off, she spread the cream on her fingers.

"Now, this may sting a little bit," Sakura said, rubbing it over his wounds; Sasuke hissed and flinched away from her slightly.

"That hurt," Sasuke snapped at her, glaring; Sakura merely glared back as she continued to spread it.

"I told you it would!"

"You said a little bit," He hissed, his muscles involuntarily flinching, "This feels like you're setting it on fire!"

"Well do you want to die from infection or not," She shot back; Sasuke remained silent. "That's what I thought."

Sasuke huffed at her remark, though he stayed quiet as she continued her work. He noticed how her hands were calloused from working in the forges, yet they were quick and gentle at applying the salve. As she finished, she wiped her hands on a cloth, grabbing the bandages and standing up. She unrolled them, swiftly wrapping them around his chest; he wondered how often she treated wounds, due to the skill and professionalism that she showed while she worked. And, despite hating to admit it, he felt rather at peace with her hands on him; it was only until Naruto spoke up that his thoughts were shattered.

"I can't believe you're this good Sakura," Naruto exclaimed, watching her. Sasuke felt her hand twitch slightly before resuming her previous rhythm.

"And why is that," Sakura asked, pulling out a dagger; she cut the wrappings away from the rest of the roll. "You've know I've treated my clan members for injuries since you began your apprenticeship with Iruka."

"Well yeah," He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "But I always imagined you'd be really rough, considering your demeanor and all."

Sasuke felt her tie the knot to the wrappings a little _too _tightly, but not enough to be uncomfortable; he decided to keep quiet, lest she decide to come after him as well. "Well Naruto, sometimes people with certain demeanors can still do other skills."

"Well then why not bring some of the gentleness in your life," Naruto said, grinning, "Especially towards me! I mean, sure you're nice, but I'd _love _if you were gentle like you are now."

"Because if she was, you'd be even more of an idiot," Sasuke interjected as Sakura stood; she snorted, covering her mouth to try and hold back a laugh as Naruto glared at him.

"No one asked you, ya elf bastard," Naruto shouted, pointing at him, "Besides, I totally have Kakashi on my side! Right Kakashi," Naruto asked, looking up at the mage. Kakashi looked back at him, wishing to not have been dragged into this.

"I think Sasuke has a point," Kakashi replied; Naruto's eyes practically bugged out of his head as Sasuke smirked, Sakura laughing beside him.

"You dirty rotten mage," Naruto grumbled, pouting, "Nothing but a messenger of conflict I bet."

"Ah Naruto," Sakura said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, "If I _wasn't _hard on you, it'd mean I didn't value you as family."

Naruto looked up at her, a grin on his face. "You mean it?"

Sakura ruffled his hair, earning a shout from him. "Just like the other ten thousand times I've told you, _yes _I mean it."

"Ha, see Sasuke," Naruto said, grinning from ear to ear, "I get to be family, while all _you _get is friendship!"

"If friendship keeps me alive during this journey, then that's all I need," Sasuke replied, pulling his shirt back on over his head. Naruto pouted, though was distracted as a knock on the door caught his attention. The door opened, revealing Kankurou standing there; he had pulled down his hood, revealing a head full of messy brown hair.

"Temari wanted me to let you know that dinner is ready," Kankurou announced, "It won't be anything fancy, but we hope that you'll enjoy it all the same."

"Anything is better than what Sakura cooked for us," Naruto said, earning him a smack from Sakura. "What? You're cooking can kill an orc, I swear!"

"I didn't hear you complaining as you ate it like a wild animal," Sakura said, glaring at him. Naruto rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, looking down at the ground.

"Well, it was either eat quietly, or get beaten up," Naruto replied, "Wasn't exactly too hard of a decision."

Kankurou laughed, bringing their attention back to him. "Well, we promise that our food can't be used for poison in a pinch."

Naruto grinned. "That's all I need to hear! Let's go eat!"

* * *

The stars shone over the plains as three cloaked figures rode to their destination. A city slowly came into sight, causing them to slow their pace until their horses came to a complete stop atop a hill overlooking the sight. Firelight atop a massive wall surrounding the city twinkled in the distance; they could barely make out the guards at the top watching for intruders.

"So this is Danzou's city," One of them said, removing their hood; blue hair held up by a white flower pin was revealed, as well as a striking feminine face with gray eyes. One of her companions nodded, his facial piercings glinting in the moonlight.

"He said that his personal assistant would come greet us here," He replied, eyes watching the city. The other companion huffed as he grinned, revealing razor sharp teeth.

"Hmph, it would've been much more fun to kill those guards and work our way in," He said, his grin growing wider at the thought, "After all, we'll need practice for those elves."

"I doubt Lord Danzou would appreciate that, Kisame," The other man said; Kisame shrugged.

"I tend to not care what _anyone_ appreciates, Pein," Kisame replied, "As long as Lady Kaguya is happy, then that is all that matters."

"And I would assume that killing Lord Danzou would make her upset," A voice called out in the night; the three were instantly on their guard, looking towards where the voice came. A young man with dark hair stepped out of the shadows, a smile plastered on his face. Pein watched him warily, hands tight on the reins to his horse.

"Are you Sai, the one we seek," Pein asked; Sai nodded.

"And you three must be Kisame, Pein, and Konan," Sai replied, "Lord Danzou has been awaiting your arrival for many days."

"Yes well, horses can only travel so quickly," Kisame said. Sai nodded, turning towards the city and leading them down the hill.

"I've told him that, but he is a rather impatient man. Especially when it involves his desires to protect this city from all dangers," Sai explained they reached the bottom of the hill. He led them to the gates, identifying himself to the guards; the guards saluted, pulling open the large stone doors. Sai turned and smiled at them, the gates revealing the cobblestone streets of his city.

"If you would so kindly follow me, we shall meet with Lord Danzou immediately," He said, turning around and walking into the city; Pein, Konan, and Kisame followed after him quietly. As soon as they had entered, the guards began closing the doors, the sound of the stone slamming together echoing in the peaceful night.

* * *

"Right this way," Kankurou said, opening the dining hall's door. Naruto stepped into the room and stared in wonder; the hall was large, with multiple tables scattered everywhere throughout. On the walls hung tapestries depicting Suna's history; Naruto noticed a beige dragon depicted throughout them creating sandstorms that destroyed his enemies. At the farthest wall, where a large table that had yet to be filled stood, were five portraits of what he assumed were the ruling families. His eyes widened as he noticed Kankurou in one of them, accompanied by a girl with hair the color of sand and a young boy with bright red hair. He whipped his head around, staring accusingly at Kankurou.

"You didn't tell us you were some big shot around here," Naruto shouted, pointing at him. Kankurou blinked in confusion before finally a grin spread on his face.

"Ah, so you noticed," Kankurou replied, "Well, at the time of our meeting I didn't consider it important to tell you who I was. But, yes, I am part of the current ruling family; although, Temari is the brains behind the whole operation."

"Ya got that right brother," An older woman called out, causing the group to turn their heads. She approached them, her hair pulled into four ponytails, teal eyes shining with mirth. As she walked, her long black dress moved with her, the slits on the sides revealing toned legs, the red sash around her waist cinched to accentuate her curves. Naruto noticed that she wore black fingerless gloves as she whipped out a small fan and quickly unfolded it, fanning herself with it.

"Ah Temari," Kakashi said, walking over to her. She grinned, greeting him with a hug and a clap on the back. Naruto leaned in towards Kankurou conspiratorially.

"Hey, is your sister courting anyone," Naruto whispered; Kankurou looked at him, bewildered.

"I mean, she's currently courting the captain of the guard, Shikamaru Nara," Kankurou replied, "Though, if you ask her, she as well as he vehemently denies courting the other."

Naruto nodded, slightly disappointed in the news. Sakura rolled her eyes, smacking him behind the head; he yelped, holding the area as he glared at her. "What was that for," He hissed.

"For trying to find a maiden in the middle of a life threatening journey," Sakura replied, frowning at him. "What is wrong with you Naruto?"

"Hey, if I'm going to inherit a throne, I need a queen," Naruto explained innocently, "And I'm sure we'll be seeing many beautiful women, so I need to scope out my options now! Unless of course, _you _want to be my queen Sakura," He asked, grinning mischievously. Sakura scowled, shoving his face away from hers as she headed towards the table after the others.

"I told you when we were twelve, and I'll tell you again," She replied, "Not interested."

Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he followed after them, Sasuke following behind him. The table they sat at had multiple plates of food on beautiful china spread across it; Naruto wasn't sure who's stomach growled first, but from the sheepish look on Sakura's face it seemed that she might have been the culprit. As Temari took her seat at the head and Kankurou sat on her left, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the seat on her right remained empty.

"Hey, where's the other guy," Naruto asked, motioning towards their family portrait. Temari followed his gesture, noticing that he was pointing at the red haired boy.

"Ah, you mean Gaara," Temari said, "He has to calm that big baby Shukaku. Apparently you four getting into the village has left him a bit sourer than was anticipated. According to the guards, sandstorms are happening all across the desert."

"Um…I guess we're sorry," Naruto replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He was surprised when Temari laughed, her head thrown back; when she was calmed, she leaned forward on the table, grinning conspiratorially.

"Ah, it's fine," She said, "Besides, between you and me, that dragon needed to be beaten at his game. Full of nothing but hot air if you ask me, and I'm glad it was you four who deflated him a bit."

"Yes well, you're not the only one who's glad it was us." Kakashi stated. Temari nodded, fingers laced together under her chin. All traces of the mirth left her features as she watched Kakashi, a serious shadow seeming to fall across her face.

"So it's true," she murmured, "The enchantress Kaguya returns to start a new reign of terror."

Kakashi nodded. "I'm afraid so. That's why we have come to Suna, in order to seek the help of Shukaku in the inevitable battle."

"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that," Temari replied, leaning back in her chair, "For as long as he has lived, Shukaku has maintained a very isolationist attitude. Whenever anyone comes into the desert, he summons storms to destroy them; whatever he doesn't kill, we do."

"Sounds like a wonderful personality," Sakura stated sarcastically. Temari chuckled, a smile gracing her features as she glanced at her.

"Yes, well, I'm sure that Gaara will at least _try _to protect you from his wrath," She explained, "After all, he helps protect the rest of this village from his wrath whenever he deems something has gone amiss."

"And why would you assume I'd do such a thing," A male voice asked from behind her. Temari turned, her teal eyes meeting eyes of the same color, only belonging to her brother Gaara. Kakashi frowned as he watched Gaara take his seat, noting the deep bags beneath his eyes.

"I would assume you'd do such a thing," Temari began, "Because if you don't, it is almost certain death for us all."

"I have done what I can to convince Shukaku not to annihilate us all where we sit today," Gaara said, piling food onto his plate. "You may have to give me a month's time to even _consider _getting him to agree to go into battle."

Temari frowned, noticing his demeanor. "The two of you fought, didn't you?"

"We always fight when these matters come to hand," Gaara replied, "This time around we just happened to fight _twice _in a single day. He almost had me, for a moment, but I was able to keep him at bay."

"What do you mean by, 'had'," Sasuke asked; Gaara looked up at him, finally taking note of their presence.

"So you are the four…" He murmured; he shook his head slowly, regaining his concentration, "Anyway, by 'had', I mean that he almost took control of me."

"How can he do that," Sakura asked, looking over at him. Gaara glanced her way as he began to cut his food, continuing his explanation.

"A dragon communicates with humans telepathically. As such, the dragon has direct access to the human's mind, and can wreak havoc if they so wish. The one who is close to the dragon however, is one who is able to withstand any attacks on the mind from the dragon; or, it is someone that the dragon prefers, and would never attack. I happen to be the former, since Shukaku tends to disagree with anything that isn't him."

"That's interesting and all," Naruto said, "But we need to talk to him immediately. Not tonight, obviously, but tomorrow would be a good time."

Gaara glared at him; Naruto felt as if a cold wind swept through the room. "If you value your life, you will not attempt to communicate with him anytime soon."

Naruto gulped, fidgeting slightly in his seat. "W-Well, if _you _value the lives of the people in this village, you'll let us see him tomorrow."

Gaara glared harder at him, his fists clenching slightly; sand began moving on the floor towards Naruto at rapid speeds. A shout of surprise left his throat as it began climbing up his body; he heard Sakura shout his name as he leapt to her feet, the chair falling to the floor. As the sand began covering his eyes, he saw Temari leap to her feet; a wind blew through the room, blowing away the sand that had begun covering him. As he slumped forward in his chair, body shaking, he noticed that Temari suddenly had a large fan in her hands, panting slightly from the adrenaline. He barely registered Sakura kneeling at his side, calling his name to see if he was alright; he merely saw Gaara's eyes on him, the cold teal staring straight into his soul.

"If you still wish to see Shukaku, Kankurou will bring you," He stated coolly. He suddenly turned and left the dining hall, his red robes swishing behind him as he walked. Temari sighed, watching his retreating back. Kakashi looked at her, having watched the whole ordeal calmly.

"Shukaku seems rather merciless," Kakashi noted. Temari looked at him, a weary smile on her face.

"You don't know the half of it," Temari replied. "Sometimes controlling him puts such a mental and physical strain on Gaara that sometimes…well, sometimes, I wish he _would _just destroy us."

"Not to mention that out of the mages chosen, Gaara is the youngest of them," He said, "Chosen at birth, trained immediately afterwards…The toll on Gaara has been great."

Temari nods. "I know that he took the burden gracefully, but it still hurts to see him suffer, having to bear the weight of this entire village." She said, looking down at the ground. She turned towards Kakashi, her shoulders squared back in determination. "But, the time has come for this burden to be shared; if your quest is truly meant to succeed, then that boy will be the one to help carry Gaara's burden. Perhaps," she said, looking thoughtfully over at Naruto, "He may even be able to change his future."

Kakashi hummed thoughtfully. "Ah, we should stick with seeing if he can even survive tomorrow's meeting with Shukaku. We'll talk about more philosophical matters afterwards."

"Oi, Naruto," Sakura said, shaking him slightly, "Get a hold of yourself!"

"_He…he really tried to kill me," _Naruto thought, eyes staring blankly ahead, _"If it hadn't been for Temari, I would've been dead now. Is…is _this _what the rest of the journey is going to be like?" _

"Oi, Naruto," Sakura called again; Naruto suddenly snapped out of it, blinking as he looked over at her. She sighed, worry written clearly across her face. "Thank goodness; I've been trying to talk to you for a while now!"

Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Ah, no need to worry Sakura! A little tantrum like that isn't going to scare me off!"

Sakura smiled, though she wasn't entirely convinced. "Well, as long as you're alright."

"Well, I think that's enough excitement for one night," Kakashi proclaimed, clapping his hands together. "Now, why don't we head to bed, unless of course we wish to see what other surprises await us?"

"I'm certainly ready to sleep," Sakura said, stretching slightly, "Seems like forever since I've last slept in an actual bed."

Kakashi smiled, his eye crinkling in amusement. "Well then, let's head out."

The four of them headed towards the entrance, Kakashi and Sakura taking the lead. Naruto trailed behind them, Sasuke walking slightly in front of him. Naruto was lost in his thoughts, too concerned with tomorrow's events to notice that Sasuke had spoken to him. A hand waved in front of his face, snapping him out of his thoughts; he looked over at Sasuke, the owner of the hand.

"What'd you say," Naruto asked; Sasuke sighed, rolling his eyes as he continued moving forward.

"I said, you shouldn't worry about tomorrow," Sasuke replied, "Out of the four of us, you're the one we can't let die."

Naruto blinked. "But…none of you guys can really die either. I mean, you're all important too."

"Hn, as important as guardians can ever be," Sasuke scoffed, "We are replaceable, and we are meant to protect you first and Kakashi second. So don't worry, because the only ones who may die tomorrow are Sakura and I."

Naruto looked over at Sakura; she was talking animatedly with Kakashi, a carefree look on her face. "Does she…know that?"

"Of course she does," Sasuke replied, "It was a given when she volunteered for this quest. And as you said earlier, she sees you as family; so even _if _you weren't the heir to the throne of Konoha, she'd willingly throw her life away for you."

"You really think that," Naruto asked, slightly in awe. Sasuke rolled his eyes, looking at him as if he was stupid.

"I may not have met many dwarves, but I know that they're fiercely loyal to their clans and their allies," He stated, "Therefore, you've nothing to worry about for tomorrow."

Naruto nodded, staring quietly ahead as he thought over everything that Sasuke had said. As they continued to walk down the hallways, Naruto thought of continuing the journey without Sasuke and Sakura; nights spend around fires where the two weren't bickering or coming to terms with each other. Days traveling where Sakura wasn't scolding him for doing something embarrassing, or getting into arguments with Sasuke over trivial matters. As he thought of those days, he realized that the journey wouldn't be the same without them; that _nothing _would be the same, even after they had finished the quest.

"No," Naruto spoke quietly, catching Sasuke's attention, "You're wrong."

"Hn, how am I wrong," Sasuke asked, eyebrow quirked. Naruto looked at him, determination set across his face.

"Because I do have something to worry about tomorrow," Naruto replied, "I have to worry about losing my friends. I may have a special role in this giant scheme, but you two have special roles in my life. So don't tell me to worry, because just the thought of losing either of you makes me worry."

Sasuke blinked, before a smirk graced his features. "Ah, then you better be on your toes tomorrow. Shukaku certainly seems to be a rather testy dragon."

Naruto grinned. "Nothing a little beat down can't solve!"

* * *

"So, we have come to an agreement on the battle plans," Danzou asked, glancing around the table. Pein nodded, his eyes set on the map spread out on the table.

"We will attack in two weeks' time," Pein reiterated, "In that time, you will gather your troops, and prepare any magic that will be needed to defeat the elves. Afterwards, we will march to the forests and overtake them. Kisame will lead the battle, while Konan and I slip away to find Choumei. We will take our target, and kill anyone who stands in our way."

Danzou smirked. "Well then, we should begin preparations immediately."

* * *

**A/N: GUYS THAT CATCH MADE ME HAPPY OMG CAPSLOCK AAAHHHH.  
*ahem* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it (at least the really obvious bonding parts. I is such a shoujo). **

**Also, as some people may see, I do try to put suggestions into my writing! So if you have something you want to see in a chapter (and it doesn't seem too outlandish/OOC/out of place with my writing), then feel free to put them in a review! I may reject some, buuuut I may also put them in! **


	8. Shukaku of the Wind

Although it was still early in the morning, the room that Naruto stayed in was bustling with movement. Sakura and Sasuke were gathering their necessary weapons; Naruto however, sat on the edge of the bed, his sword and shield already strapped to his back. He knew that they would all have his back; however the first meeting with Gaara the night before had unnerved him. As Kankurou knocked on the door though, he squared back his shoulders, catching Sakura's attention. She gave an encouraging smile as he stood, cracking his neck.

"Ready to meet Shukaku," She asked. Naruto gave her a grin, though he could feel the fluttering intensify in his stomach.

"Ready as I'll ever be," He said, heading to the door. He opened it, greeting a somber looking Kankurou. Naruto nodded towards him; Kankurou turned, leading the quartet away from their comforts to where Shukaku lay. As they walked, Naruto looked out over the village that lay beneath the sand, watching as their lives began to unfold before his eyes. Mothers were doing laundry and beginning to cook, while various merchants were already beginning to peddle their wares in the streets. For a moment, Naruto felt a sense of homesickness wash over him, as these early morning activities reminded him of the ones that occurred back home.

"_I hope they're alright…" _He thought to himself; images of Iruka and Jiraiya flashed through his mind, and the thought of them suffering because of him left an imprint on his mind that he couldn't shake. However, as soon as the dark thoughts plagued his mind, Kakashi's hand moved to ruffle his hair, distracting him from his thoughts. He looked up at the mage, blinking in surprise; Kakashi gave a reassuring smile.

"They'll be alright," He said, "Jiraiya is incredibly talented in combat, and Iruka can certainly hold his own. Your village will be alright in your absence."

Naruto smiled, looking back out at the village. "I know…It's just…Well, what if Shukaku gets so mad, he goes after them," He asked, looking back at him.

"There are safety measures in place to ensure that he doesn't escape," Kakashi explained, "Besides, if Shukaku were to leave, this village would begin to crumble; not only that, but he would be a bigger target for Kaguya."

"So this whole village is dependent on him," Naruto asked; Kakashi nodded, looking out at the village.

"As you noticed, the village is hidden underground; yet, there is air flow from the outside," Kakashi stated, "That is Shukaku's doing. Despite what he may claim, the protection of this village is his primary duty; without the village, he would be much more vulnerable. So, he protects them from outsiders, and in return the villagers protect and revere him."

Naruto nodded in understanding, though he had trouble understanding how an entire village rested on one creature's powers. Kakashi ruffled his hair again as they reached large doors; Kankurou pulled them, revealing a grand staircase leading upwards.

"Don't worry, you'll understand it in time," Kakashi said as they began walking up the staircase. Naruto followed after them, thinking over Kakashi's words; he glanced up at the backs of Sasuke and Sakura as they walked both silent for once during the trip.

"_Protection as a duty, huh," _Naruto thought to himself as the light from the village grew dimmer as they traveled farther down the passageway. Torches on the walls were their only light through the winding staircase; illuminating carvings on the walls depicting what Naruto assumed were more pictures of Shukaku's powers. After what seemed like hours, they came upon another set of doors; Kankurou pushed them open, allowing light from the room ahead to filter in. The group blocked the light, eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. As they lowered their hands, they saw Gaara standing at the entrance, arms folded across his chest. He surveyed the group, taking in their weapons; he suddenly turned his back on them, heading down a vast hallway towards a different chamber.

"Follow me," Gaara said, robes flowing behind him as he walked. As they exited the passageway to follow him, Naruto looked around the grand hallway that they stood in. Pillars made of stone lined the hallway, holding up a grand ceiling; at the end of the hallway stood a great door, large enough for what he assumed a dragon could be able to walk through. As they walked, their footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, making the space seem even larger than it already was. As they approached the door, Naruto tried to swallow the lump in his throat, wiping his palms on his clothes.

"_It's now or never," _He thought, staring determinedly at the door. Despite there being no visible handle, Gaara placed his hands on the door; closing his eyes, a sudden gust of wind blew from behind them, pushing the doors open. Dust rose from the ground as they creaked open slowly, revealing a spacious chamber before them. Gaara stepped in, the rest of them following cautiously behind him, watching in case they were being lead into a trap. As Naruto entered, Kankurou trailing behind him, a sudden gust of wind slammed the doors shut; Naruto turned and watched as Kankurou's wide eyes were the last thing he saw before the door closed. He pulled out his sword, his grip tight as he watched the room with wide eyes; Gaara stood calmly in the middle arms at his sides as he stared straight ahead.

"_You brought them here," _A voice roared in their minds; Naruto glanced over at Sasuke and Sakura, both looking equally as surprised as he felt. Gaara continued looking forward, his body still relaxed despite the dangers awaiting them.

"They are here to help," Gaara replied, "They mean us no harm."

A pair of yellow eyes glowed, watching their every movement. _"That doesn't mean they won't bring us harm," _The voice replied, _"You should have never brought them here." _

"They want to protect you from Kaguya," Gaara countered; a sudden gust of wind blew through the room as the large beige dragon pounced, his snout a few inches away from Gaara's face.

"_I don't _need _their protection," _Shukaku growled, glaring into Gaara's eyes. The dragon's head suddenly lifted away from his face, staring straight into Naruto's eyes; Naruto felt paralyzed as he met the dragon's gaze. Shukaku growled again, stalking away from Gaara towards Naruto.

"_I especially don't need help," _Shukaku began, _"From little _boys _who are playing soldier. If they truly wish to help, they should leave and go face Kaguya alone. Leave us out of the equation, and kill her in her own lands." _

"You know as well as anyone else that she's too powerful for them alone," Gaara replied, "She'd kill them in an instant."

"_All the more reason to not ally ourselves with them," _Shukaku shouted, facing him again. He circled Gaara, his wings close to his body as he glared at the mage. _"I refuse to become a slave just because they're unable to protect us! And if you value your life, you'll agree with me." _

"Kaguya is stronger than any of us," Gaara retorted, "Whether or not we value our lives won't matter when she comes for us; and you know that she will, no matter _who _we ally ourselves with. There is safety in numbers, and deciding to help them is the only way that we can survive."

"_Enough," _Shukaku snarled, his eyes zeroing on Naruto again, _"I wish to hear the boy's side of the argument."_

Naruto blinked, realizing that the dragon was addressing him. "M-Me," He choked out, cursing himself for not sounding more confident. Shukaku snorted, the puff of air almost knocking him off his feet.

"_Yes, you," _Shukaku replied, _"Convince me. And if you cannot convince me, the consequences will be dire for you." _

Naruto gulped, feeling all eyes on him as he approached Shukaku. His hand trembled on his sword, mind frantically searching for the right words to speak; he straightened his back, blue eyes staring straight into golden.

"We…" Naruto began; he faltered for a moment before taking another breath, "We wish for your help in defeating Kaguya."

"_Why," _Shukaku growled; Naruto was caught off guard, feeling the words he wanted to say slip away from his tongue again.

"Well…y-you see…" Naruto stammered, "If you don't ally with us, the world will be destroyed. And well, that would be pretty bad for everyone, s-so you should join us against Kaguya. That way, she can be defeated, and we can make the world a safer place for everyone to live in."

Shukaku stared at him; suddenly, a deep rumbling chuckle could be heard, slowly changing into boisterous laughter. Naruto blinked, confusion covering his features, forgetting his fears for a moment as the dragon laughed.

"_Foolish child," _Shukaku laughed, _"Just the answer I was expecting from a child such as yourself." _

"Now just wait a minute," Naruto began, but was suddenly cut off as Shukaku roared.

"_Enough," _He growled, _"I've made my choice. Following a pathetic, uncertain little boy like you would mean certain death for everyone, no matter what your lineage may be. Leave my temple, or face my wrath." _

Naruto watched as Shukaku turned away from him; a feeling of rage swelled up in him, causing him to tighten his old on his sword. Naruto growled, and with a mighty shout swung his sword, hitting the tip of Shukaku's tail; his eyes widened as Shukaku turned around, glaring at him.

"I…uh…" Naruto began, trying to find the right words. Shukaku suddenly roared, a gust of air slamming into Naruto so hard that he went flying. He vaguely heard a shout of his name as he flew across the room; before he could hit the opposite wall though, he was caught by a soft cushion of sand. He cracked open an eye, seeing Gaara's hand outstretched towards him, though his eyes never left Shukaku.

"_You _dare _to attack me," _Shukaku roared, glaring at Naruto, _"I will destroy you and your pathetic comrades! Your bodies will lie in my desert for all eternity!"_

"Good job Naruto," Sakura said sarcastically as Naruto landed on the ground. Naruto brushed himself off, looking over at her.

"Hey, it's not my fault I lost my temper," Naruto shouted, "He was laughing at me!"

"Well now he's doing a lot more than laughing," Sasuke said, drawing his bow and arrow; Sakura drew her axe, ready to assist in the fight. Shukaku roared as he saw the weapons, multiple blasts of air streaming from his mouth. Gaara raised his other hand, gesturing for the sand to form a wall protecting them; the air slammed into the sand, causing a shower of sand to rain down on them.

"A little help would be nice Kakashi," Gaara shouted as he waved his hand; the gathered together and shot towards Shukaku. Kakashi nodded, raising his staff; the moon glowed as electricity gathered around the head. He pointed it towards Shukaku, a lightning bolt shooting towards the dragon. Shukaku roared as a large gust of wind averted the lightning bolt, causing it to slam into a pillar. Shukaku turned his attention away from the pillar, only to be slammed to the ground by Gaara's sand; as he thrashed, it slowly began to cover him, his body blending in with the sand. Kakashi swirled his staff, causing a circle of fire to surround him as Shukaku's body continued to be covered. He slammed his staff down, causing the fire to spread towards Shukaku's body; it slowly encased the sand, causing it to emit a bright light as it glowed. After a while Kakashi swept his hand in the air, causing the fire to dissipate and leaving an encasement of glass surrounding Shukaku in its place. Naruto watched with wide eyes as Kakashi and Gaara looked at each other, both of them panting after the effort exerted.

"_This…is the true power of a mage," _Naruto thought. Suddenly, Gaara groaned; he fell to the ground, clutching at his head, eyes shut tightly. Naruto ran towards Gaara, ignoring the calls of Kakashi to stay back; he knelt beside him, shaking him by the shoulders.

"Oi, are you alright," Naruto shouted, looking at him concerned. Gaara looked up at him, his face scrunched in pain.

"Get…away," He breathed, staring at the ground. Naruto blinked, confusion flitting over his features.

"What are you," He was suddenly interrupted as Gaara roared; Naruto instantly felt himself being yanked back by his collar as sand suddenly rose up from the ground where he had previously stood. He looked up, noticing that Sasuke had been the one to pull him back; standing up, he watched as Gaara rose, a glazed look to his eyes.

"What's going on," Naruto asked, looking over at Sasuke. Sasuke nocked an arrow on his bow and let it fly; it was immediately blocked by Gaara's sand, causing him to let out a curse.

"He's possessed," Sasuke replied, nocking more arrows. Naruto watched as Kakashi shot a bolt of lightning towards Gaara; Gaara merely waved his hand, redirecting the bolt towards Kakashi. Kakashi suddenly raised a wall of earth from the ground, though he still stumbled back as the lightning bolt hit the earthen wall. A blur of pink and black moved out of the corner of Naruto's eye; Sakura charged towards Gaara, her axe raised as he was distracted. She raised it above her head and swung it towards him. Despite her speed, the axe got caught in sand; she watched with wide eyes as it began to creep up towards the axe. She growled, yanking it free of the sand as arrows came flying towards Gaara. Suddenly a gust of wind blew back the arrows and Sakura as the sand enclosed Gaara in a sphere. Sakura went skidding backwards, stumbling slightly as she reached Sasuke and Naruto.

"Is it your goal to get yourself killed first," Sasuke asked as he watched warily. Sakura grinned, pushing her helmet out of her eyes.

"Only if it's your goal to stand back and shoot arrows the whole time," Sakura replied; Sasuke merely smirked at her answer. Kakashi shot another jet of fire towards the sand; it encased it, creating another glass prison for Gaara, similar to the one that currently encased Shukaku. Naruto watched the entire thing with wide eyes as Kakashi leaned heavily on his staff.

"That should keep him at bay for a bit," Kakashi panted out, looking over at the other three. "Keep your guard up," He shouted out, catching their attention, "They could break out at any moment."

"Break out," Naruto asked, looking at the encasement of the two, "But they're totally immobilized!"

"_If you think this can hold me, you've got another thing coming," _Shukaku's voice shouted. Naruto whirled to face Shukaku, watching as the glass encasing Gaara was suddenly shattered; Gaara snapped his fingers, the glass encasing Shukaku shattering as well. Shukaku roared, a blast of air catching the falling shards in midair and shooting them towards the group. Naruto ducked behind his shield as Sasuke and Sakura dodged, though some of the shards cut their arms. Gaara waved his hand in a circular motion, the glass halting and following his movements. He directed it towards Kakashi, the shards raining down on his unprotected body, cutting every inch they could reach.

"Kakashi," Naruto shouted eyes wide in shock. He watched as Kakashi leaned heavily on his staff, knees hitting the ground as blood ran down his face. Gaara merely smirked, glancing over at Shukaku.

"I leave those three to you," He stated, "Whatever power you need, take it."

Shukaku's eyes gleamed sinisterly. _"As you wish, Gaara," _He replied, a claw swiping through the ground. Sand rose from the strike, and with a sudden burst of wind was heading towards them. Sakura grabbed Naruto and pulled him out of the way as Sasuke jumped to a different area. Naruto and Sakura skidded across the ground before finally settling farther away; Shukaku watched the sand, his eyes tracking its movements as it hovered.

"Highly defensive," Sakura muttered, standing up. Naruto followed her movements, his shield in one hand and sword in the other. He glanced over at her, watching as her brows were furrowed; she finally turned towards Naruto.

"You need to stay back," She said, getting into an offensive position; Naruto blinked, bewildered by her statement.

"I…what…Now wait just a second," Naruto began, but a glare from Sakura cut him off as she spoke.

"No, now _you _wait a second," She spat, "It was _your _rash behavior that got us into this mess, so now we need to get ourselves out of it. The last thing we need is _you _dying, so instead of focusing on Shukaku, why not just focus on staying alive?"

"But I can help," Naruto protested, raising his shield and sword. Sakura sighed, focusing her attention back on the battle.

"Just stay out of our way," She replied before charging back into the fray. He watched as she dodged sand coming at her from seemingly every direction; Sasuke was shooting arrows, trying to find weaknesses in Shukaku's armored body. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sakura approaching him, dodging another sand stream; her back pressed against his, she glanced over her shoulder at him.

"Get through the armor yet," Sakura asked, swinging her axe to deflect glass that came towards them. Sasuke shook his head, eyes focused on Shukaku.

"His scales are too thick to hit the skin beneath with arrows," Sasuke muttered, drawing his own sword, "And he can summon defenses too quickly for anyone to get through."

Sakura shoved him out of the way as a gust of wind flew past them; though he stumbled, he was able to stay on his feet, Sakura still watching his back. "Got any magic words to help us out?"

Sasuke smirked. "Only if you're willing to trust me."

"Not exactly like we have a lot of options here," Sakura replied, shrugging. Sasuke placed his hand on her arm; he concentrated his energy, working to funnel it into her. Sakura tensed slightly as she felt warmth spread throughout her as he spoke in his native tongue.

"_Ama tyelka," _Sasuke said, hand falling as he finished speaking. Sakura suddenly felt as if she were lighter; she glanced over at him, eyebrow raised.

"What did you do to me," Sakura asked. Sasuke looked back at her, his face mere inches away from hers.

"Gave you speed," He replied, "You go get some hits in, I'll keep him busy."

Sakura nodded, raising her axe and charging towards Shukaku. Shukaku roared as he noticed her increased speed, firing more wind and sand in her direction. She dodged them easily though, jumping high into the air and slamming her axe down into his back. Shukaku roared in pain, thrashing as she stood atop him, pulling the bloodied axe out of his skin. Shukaku raised his tail at her, yet as he swiped at her she was already off his back and onto the ground. She ran alongside him, her axe cutting through his limbs, causing him to fall to the ground as blood rushed from the wounds.

Gaara looked away, Kakashi lying at his feet, noticing that Shukaku was being injured. His eyes narrowed as he watched Sakura cut at him, pink hair flying with the speeds she was moving at. He raised his hand, sand rising with the movement; he gestured his hand in her direction, the sand moving towards her. Sakura went to swipe at his other leg when she was suddenly slammed back into the wall by the sand, the weight of it crushing out all the air in her lungs.

Sasuke cursed as he heard Naruto call out her name. He repeated the spell, feeling his own body get lighter; he drew his sword and rushed towards Gaara. Gaara looked over at him, a wall of sand rising just in time to block the sword from stabbing him in the chest. Sasuke grit his teeth, lifting the sword upwards and out of the sand, causing the wall to crumble. Gaara merely smirked, the sand reforming to attack him. Sasuke continually dodged and swung his sword, though Gaara continued to keep his defenses up.

Naruto watched, his hand tightening on his sword. _"I have…I have to do something," _Naruto thought, charging out from his hiding spot. Shukaku swung his tail in his direction, knocking Naruto flat on his back; Sasuke turned his head in his direction, giving Gaara enough time to encase him in sand, causing him to fall to the ground. Shukaku stared at Naruto, yellow eyes gleaming with murderous intent.

"_What can you do," _Shukaku taunted, _"All your comrades have fallen. The mage will die of blood loss soon, and your friends will be crushed to death very shortly. As for your life, I will gladly let you watch them die before killing you slowly as well." _

"I don't care what you do to me, just as long as you leave them alone," Naruto shouted, "Take it all out on me; I am the reason you're mad after all!"

"_Then why send your comrades in to clean up your mess," _Shukaku asked, his snout almost touching Naruto's forehead. _"Why have them suffer when you should be the one in pain?"_

"Because they're willing to die for me," Naruto replied, "And I….I was too afraid to tell them to step aside and let me fight. They wanted to protect me, and now it's my turn to protect them!"

"_You speak as if there is friendship between you," _Shukaku snorted, _"Isn't it only their job to protect you? Should you really care if they die?"_

"I don't care whether they see it as their job or not," Naruto shouted, rising to his feet, "To me, they're my precious friends, and friends don't let friends suffer alone! So now it's time for Naruto Uzumaki to be your next opponent!"

Shukaku stared at him; slowly, a deep chuckle rumbled through his throat. _"Foolish boy…You'd die before you even lay a scratch on me," _Shukaku replied, _"How do you plan to fight someone far stronger than you without anyone else to save you?" _

"I don't need anyone else to save me," Naruto retorted, "I may need some help, but I don't want anyone to risk their lives for me! I want to protect those that are precious to me, just like…" Naruto trailed off slightly, slowly staring up into his yellow eyes, "…Just like you…" He finished softly; Shukaku growled, eyes narrowing as he glared.

"_I have no one precious to me," _Shukaku snapped. Naruto shook his head, stepping closer to him Shukaku.

"No, you do, you just don't want to admit it," Naruto countered, "Why else would you protect this village? It's not because it's a duty or to have shields; it's because you actually _like _these people!"

"_There is only one, and he has been dead for centuries," _Shukaku roared. Naruto stood tall as air rushed past him, the wind ruffling his hair and clothes. Shukaku glowered at him as Naruto stayed standing, not at all cowering away from his wrath.

"Whether or not he's dead, you still protect the memory of him," Naruto replied, "And that's what matters most to you. So here is my new proposition to you: fight alongside us to protect his memory! Together we'll keep him alive by defeating Kaguya!"

Shukaku watched him warily; the sand encasing Sakura and Sasuke began to dissolve. _"And if you fail?"_

"If we never try, we can never succeed," Naruto retorted; Shukaku snorted, turning his back on Naruto. The doors to the chamber opened as Kankurou, Temari, and various healers surged into the room. Amidst the commotion as Kankurou and Temari talked to Gaara, Naruto could only hear Shukaku's final words.

"_I will hold you to your promise, Naruto Uzumaki." _

* * *

"Still can't believe all he needed was a talking to," Sakura muttered, arms crossed over her chest from her position in the bed. She was propped up, bandages covering her torso, the sand having cut into her body as it squeezed the life out of her.

"Well, at least nobody died today," Kakashi said cheerfully, his body bandaged up as well. Sasuke nodded, having escaped with a few scrapes and bruises, though the wound on his torso had opened up again. Naruto sat on the floor, vaguely listening in on the conversation as he thought back to the conversation he had had with Temari as they walked back to the village.

"_So you connected with him, eh," Temari asked, nudging Naruto in the side. He glanced over at her, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. _

"_I guess so," Naruto replied, "I dunno how I did it, but I apparently did it." _

"_Well, be proud of yourself," Temari stated, "Only one other person was able to do that, and that was the original mage, Bunpuku." _

"_Bunpuku," Naruto asked; Temari looked over at him, remembering that he wasn't familiar with Shukaku's history. _

"_Ah yes, Bunpuku," Temari began, "He was the first mage that came into control of Shukaku; with their combined power, they were able to create Suna. However, Bunpuku didn't become the mage because he could withstand mental attacks from Shukaku; rather, he became the mage because Shukaku had a preference to him." _

"_So _that's _who Shukaku was talking about," Naruto said, realization dawning on him. Temari nodded, a small smile on her face. _

"_Yes," She replied, "And as you can tell, Bunpuku had great power over Shukaku. He was the one who convinced Shukaku to create the village, and we believe it's his memory that truly keeps Shukaku from doing anything harmful to us. While it's really just legend now, it's believed that the two had a friendship, with both of them willing to die for the other. Once Bunpuku died, it was said that that was when Shukaku became the dragon that he is today, isolating us from the rest of the world."_

"_But, since you connected with him…Well, perhaps there is still hope for the dragon yet," Temari said, laughing slightly as she walked besides him. _

Naruto looked out the window, watching as the village bustled about below them. He could hear Kakashi mutter something, causing Sakura to screech her annoyance at him, while Sasuke muttered under his breath about annoying dwarves. A gentle breeze blew into the room, ruffling Naruto's hair; a small smile came across his lips as he closed his eyes.

_"Perhaps there is hope for us all," _Naruto thought to himself.

* * *

Ama tyelka: Agility

**A/N: Blergh. I knew what I wanted, and I think it vaguely came out to what I wanted it to be like. I got distracted by the new AU cover. (SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY YA'LL) I also got distracted by RWBY volume 2. (JUSTICE WILL BE DELICIOUS) Suggestions on how to make things better are appreciated as always. **


	9. Isobu of Kiri

The sky was a deep blue, the wind blowing the salty aroma of the sea into the air. Two men in black cloaks watched the waves crashing in on the shore from atop a hill, the wind ruffling their hair. The blonde grinned, adjusting the lenses of the scope on his left eye as he saw farther into the distance into the town below them.

"Looks kinda boring," He muttered, glancing over at his red-haired partner, "You sure this is the right place Sasori?"

Sasori nodded, his hazel eyes staring out beyond the sea. "Never judge something by its appearance Deidara, or else risk being caught off guard."

"But you can tell so much just from appearances," Deidara argued, "Like that city where Pein went? One look at that tells me that they're strong, and that they're not afraid of a battle."

"Yet behind those walls are men who wish to never face battle," Sasori retorted, "They are not brave; they are cowards that hide behind their armor and present a façade of strength to the world."

Deidara grunted, frowning. "People don't need to care about façades or truths; as long as what they present in that single moment is their self of that moment, then there is nothing else to care about!"

Sasori glanced over at him, eyebrow raised. Deidara met his gaze; they stared at each other, each trying to read the other's intents. Sasori eventually sighed, beginning to lead his horse down the hill.

"You're doing it again," Sasori called back; Deidara grabbed the reins of his horse, following after him.

"Doing what," Deidara replied, falling into step beside him.

"Trying to convince me that you're art is superior to mine," Sasori stated, "Except you're using people's personalities in favor of your actual art."

"Well excuse me if I happen to be correct in this matter," Deidara retorted, "Besides, you're not going to stand there and argue with me that in a single moment, what is the most important about a person is their long term self and not their self in that moment."

"And why wouldn't I," Sasori glanced back, "It is the same with my puppets; they are eternal, as are the true selves of people behind their façade. And while it may not garner much attention in a moment, as the sands of time run they shall be immortalized; whereas your art will crumble away to nothing."

Deidara huffed, glaring at the back of Sasori's head. "My art will always be remembered, yeah! My explosions will be noted throughout history, while your puppets will merely fade to the background! After all, it is the transient occurrences that are important, and not the sturdy."

"After this, we'll see whose art is the true form of beauty," Sasori replied, "And I'm confident that Isobu will appreciate my form the most."

"Hmph, that dragon will appreciate the transience of mine," Deidara grumbled, "He's been around for so long that a shining moment of new light will surely bring him to my side, yeah!"

"One as old as he will appreciate _my _art, as it mimics his lifespan." Sasori stated. "And, as anyone with half a mind knows, imitation is the greatest form of flattery."

"We'll see about that," Deidara replied as they entered the town. People were bustling about, merchants selling fish in their stalls as children ran through the streets. In Deidara's eyes, destroying the town now to preserve this image was an opportunity that he'd hate to waste; however, capturing Isobu was his first task, so destruction would have to come later. It was with these thoughts that the two traveled down to the water's edge in search of a boat to take them where they needed to go.

* * *

"Look at how blue it is," Naruto called out, hand shielding his eyes from the sun. He stood in awe at the edge of the beach, watching as the waves rolled in, the afternoon sun glinting on the water. He breathed in the air, tasting the salty tang on his tongue; he turned around, grinning brightly at his companions. "Have you ever _seen _anything so awesome?"

"It is quite impressive," Sakura admitted a small smile on her face as the wind blew her pink hair. She had been cleared for travel a few days after the fight with Shukaku, when the only remnants of the battle were nasty bruises covering her torso; even after traveling for a few weeks, she still winced when she moved certain ways. Kakashi was in a similar situation, though his wounds would take far longer to heal than hers.

"I've seen better," Sasuke replied, walking ahead of her. Sakura frowned, eyebrows furrowing together as she stared at his back.

"It's not nice to ruin other people's fun," Sakura called out, walking behind him. Sasuke shrugged, passing by Naruto, his footprints barely leaving imprints on the sand.

"It's the truth though," Sasuke replied, "These seas are nothing compared to the forests of my homeland."

"Look, just because you're missing home, doesn't mean you have to ruin our experiences," Naruto said; Sasuke snorted, rolling his eyes at his statement.

"I am not missing home," Sasuke retorted, "I am merely stating that these are not impressive sights when compared to the forests of the elves."

"Sounds like missing home to me," Naruto muttered. Sakura nodded, leaning in conspiratorially towards his ear.

"That, or being an arrogant prick," She muttered; Naruto guffawed as Sasuke's ear twitched in annoyance, his excellent hearing having caught the response. Kakashi sighed, smiling slightly behind his mask, Rin chirping happily on top of his head.

"Alright now, let's settle down," Kakashi stated, riding alongside the group. "We've still a lot of ground to cover if we want to reach Kiri by nightfall, and we won't get anywhere if we keep bickering."

"Fine," Naruto and Sakura groaned, heading in the direction of Kiri; Sasuke merely grunted, walking behind them. Kakashi merely smiled as he clicked his heels against his horse's side, urging him along to keep up with the others.

* * *

It hadn't been hard to procure a boat, especially since they had said they would be able to go themselves. Sasori worked at the oars, while Deidara stood at the prow, looking forward in search of the island. He squinted, working his scope to try and find any land masses; however, a thick fog had rolled in, making it highly difficult to find anything in the ocean. He cursed, plopping down onto a seat, causing the boat to rock.

"Don't flip the boat over just because you can't find him," Sasori reprimanded. Deidara huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared out at the open water.

"I just don't understand why we can't see it, yeah," Deidara grumbled, "I mean, it doesn't have a mage, so it's not like it should be a challenge to find!"

"Considering that the townspeople consider him merely a legend, I'm supposing that Isobu hides himself very well." Sasori replied, "Besides, they say that the fog rolling in is a sign that you're getting close. So stop complaining and keep looking."

Deidara grumbled, adjusting his scope to get a farther range of vision. As he scouted the area, he suddenly caught sight of something slipping beneath the water. He stood, trying to get a better look; Sasori watched him carefully, still rowing the boat.

"_Was that it," _Deidara thought, going to sit back down on his seat. Suddenly, large waves crashed into the boat, sending Deidara over the edge and into the water. He slammed into the water, arms waving frantically as he worked to stay afloat. Sasori glanced over the edge, having been able to remain in his seat.

"Are you alright," He called as Deidara began to swim back to the boat. Deidara's eyes widened as behind Sasori, a large grey tail rose from the water. Sasori noticed his expression, and turned just in time to see the tail slam into the boat, destroying it and sending him flying into the water as well. Deidara frantically scanned the area, looking for Sasori's head to pop up from the water; a sense of relief washed over him as he saw the red hair pop up, followed by coughing from Sasori.

"Looks like we found our guy," Deidara called out, swimming over to him. Sasori merely nodded, focused on treading water. In the distance, Deidara could see a gray back rising out of the water, wings acting almost like fins as it began heading towards them. He cursed, ripping open his pouch and pulling out a small bird figurine. He threw it up into the air and focused on making it grow; with a loud _'pop' _the figurine became a large white bird that hovered above the water. Deidara quickly climbed on top, helping Sasori up as well; once they were on, they immediately flew away from the spot, missing the jaws of Isobu by mere inches. Isobu looked up at them, glaring, giving a loud roar of frustration at having missed his prey.

"Doesn't look too happy," Sasori noted; Deidara rolled his eyes as he kept the bird out of Isobu's reach. Isobu growled, lowering his head into the water; a massive current could be seen heading towards Isobu, mouth swelling with the water he took in. He aimed upwards and, opening his mouth, began firing large bullets of water at the duo. Deidara cursed, dodging the shots skillfully while Sasori dug through his pouch, finally pulling out the crystal given to him by Kaguya.

"Create a diversion," Sasori shouted out. Deidara nodded, pulling out a few more clay figurines shaped like fish; he threw them towards the water, each of them growing larger as they dove into the water. They swam towards Isobu as he lowered his head back into the ocean to suck more water in. As he breathed inwards, the clay fish were sucked in as well; as Isobu finished and went to aim at the bird, they suddenly exploded inside his mouth. Isobu roared in agony, his head thrown back as he fell back into the water.

"Now Sasori," Deidara shouted; Sasori nodded, pulling out a scroll. As he swiped his hand over it, a large bird like creature appeared in the air, allowing Sasori to jump onto it. He then guided his creation down towards Isobu, who was still busy with destroying the figurines that kept exploding in the water. As he neared Isobu, he grasped the crystal tightly in his hand; the dragon swung his head just in time for Sasori to push the hand holding the crystal into the beast's eye.

Deidara grinned as Isobu roared, head thrashing as Sasori flew away. The two watched from a safe distance as the thrashing slowly began to cease, the dragon's body slowly sinking underneath the water. The bubbles slowly stopped appearing, causing Deidara to glance over at Sasori.

"Did we accidentally kill it, yeah," He asked, not wishing to face Kaguya's wrath. Suddenly the water swelled as Isobu rose, roaring loudly in answer.

"_I do not die that easily," _Isobu replied, _"Not when Lady Kaguya needs me." _

* * *

The town of Kiri was just as lively at night as it was during the day. Fishermen were returning from sea, hauling in their catches, preparing to return to their families. Sasuke watched it all from the second floor of their inn; they had balconies surrounding the entire floor, so that in case of flooding it would make it easier to reach the roof. From the streets below he could hear the raucous sounds of the men celebrating a good day of catches, or consoling their friends for their poor luck; he wondered if Naruto had passed out yet from drinking, and just how many men Sakura had already beaten in wrestling. The sound of a door opening behind him pulled him out of his musings, though he opted to continue watching as Sakura made her way to stand beside him.

"You're missing one heck of a party," Sakura stated, leaning against the railing. He glanced over at her, elbows resting against the rail.

"Am I now," He replied. She nodded, running her fingers through her hair, working out the knots.

"Naruto's listening to them tell the legends of Isobu," Sakura said, "You should see him; he looks like a little kid seeing his first snowfall!"

"Ah," Sasuke grunted, resting his head on his hands. Sakura huffed, looking at him; he turned to look at her, the firelight from the lanterns outside reflecting in her eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her expression, causing her to sigh and roll her eyes.

"You're grumpier than usual," She finally stated, "Are you really missing home, or are you just being more of an ass than normal?"

"I'm not missing home." He replied, glaring slightly at her; Sakura merely rolled her eyes at him.

"Oh, get off your high horse," She said, "You've been away from there for what, two months now? It's okay to miss them; I know that I miss my clan."

"Despite the fact that Naruto is practically home on a horse," Sasuke questioned, causing her to laugh. She nodded, the breeze blowing her hair somewhat into her face; she tucked it behind her ear.

"Yes, even with Naruto I miss my clan," She replied, smiling softly, "But I know that this has to be done, and this is my only chance to see sights that aren't mountains. So even when I miss home, I know that I'm getting to experience something that my clansmen can only _dream _about doing. Besides," She said, grinning, "Somebody's got to keep Naruto in line, as well as to keep you from killing him."

"I wouldn't kill him," Sasuke retorted. Sakura snorted at that, waving her hand dismissively.

"Oh you would too kill him," Sakura stated, "You'd kill him, and then we'd have a whole new mess on our hands!"

"Hn, not my fault he picked up his habits from an annoying dwarf," Sasuke said, a smirk on his face. Sakura pouted slightly, sticking her nose up in the air.

"I prefer the term 'loveable'," Sakura said, "In fact, I've a list of terms you can use instead of annoying. Loveable, adorable, endearing,"

"Irksome," Sasuke added, earning him a punch in the arm from her. She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're an insufferable elf," Sakura muttered. Sasuke opened his mouth to retort when suddenly the sounds of screaming could be heard. They both leaned over the railing, searching for the cause; they suddenly saw people running away from the sea, women carrying children as men picked up weapons.

"He's risen," A man shouted, running away, "The beast is alive!"

Sakura looked over at Sasuke, worry shining in her eyes. "You don't think…"

Sudden explosions cut off her train of thought, as jets of water rained down on the city. Sasuke instinctively pulled Sakura to him, shielding her from any flying debris. She ducked her head into his chest, eyes shut tightly to keep any dust from entering them. Slowly she opened them, looking up at Sasuke; the fires that had begun to spread cast shadows on his face as he stared out into the air. She followed his gaze, eyes widening as she caught sight of two men astride a large, grey dragons, whose scales seemed to form plates of armor for its body. It roared menacingly; Sakura unconsciously tightened her hold on Sasuke's shirt.

"Isobu…" Sakura breathed eyes wide with wonder. Sasuke nodded, grabbing her by the wrist and practically dragging her back into the building.

"We need to get Kakashi and Naruto," Sasuke said; Sakura nodded mutely in agreement, her mind still trying to wrap around seeing the dragon destroy the town. As they reached the first floor of the inn, people were frantically rushing around, gathering weapons and food in order to flee the city. Sasuke caught a flash of yellow and blue in the crowd, dragging Sakura towards them. As they neared them, Naruto caught sight of them, eyes wide with panic as he stood by Kakashi.

"What the bloody hell is going on out there," Naruto shouted, gesturing wildly towards the door.

"Kaguya has Isobu," Sasuke said; Naruto's face paled at the thought of having to fight the dragon, as well as whatever men she may have sent. Kakashi clapped his hands together, bringing each of them out of their private thoughts.

"Well, let's get started then," Kakashi said, "You three go grab your weapons; I'll go outside and create a diversion to buy some time."

"And if you get killed," Naruto asked; Kakashi merely shrugged, his lone eye crinkling with a smile.

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen," He said, heading for the door to face the dragon. Naruto watched as he left, mouth opening and closing in a failed effort to form words.

"He's joking, right," Naruto finally spoke, looking at Sasuke and Sakura, "Tell me he's joking."

Sakura shrugged, clapping her hand on his shoulder. "It's no joke Naruto; we're about to kill us a dragon."

Naruto just stared at her as she directed him towards where they had left their weapons. "Why do I seem to be the only one panicking?!"

"Because this isn't the time to panic," Sasuke replied, grabbing his bow and arrow, sword already by his side, "This is a time for calm, rational thinking."

Explosions could be heard outside, as well as Isobu roaring in displeasure. Naruto merely threw his hands up in the air, grabbing his sword and shield and running outside with the rest of them. As they exited the inn, they were able to see Kakashi shooting lightning at the dragon, while a blonde man at the top kept throwing what appeared to be figurines down at Kakashi. As the figurines came in contact with the lightning, they exploded, causing small bits of fire to rain down on the town. A red haired man tapped him on the shoulder, pointing towards them; he grinned as he saw them, sending chills down Naruto's spine.

"Why hello my friends," The blonde called out, "And welcome to the party, yeah! While I'd love to be the one that kills you, I have a rather pesky mage problem on my hands right now! So, my partner Sasori here will gladly be the one to rip your beating hearts right out of your chests, yeah!"

Sasori then descended from the dragon on what appeared to be a bird; as he landed, the creature disappeared. He glanced over the three of them, smirking to himself as he pulled out a scroll. He threw it into the air; it suddenly transformed, revealing a humanoid creature. Sasori jumped into the air, his body landing into the open back of the puppet. As it landed on all fours, a metallic tail shot out of the mask on its back, thrashing around in the air. The creature seemed to grin at them as it stayed crouched.

"Well then," Sasori said from within, "Let's see how you fare against my favorite puppet, Hiruko."

* * *

**A/N: Aaaannnnddd end scene! Hope you enjoyed it, I enjoyed getting this out at a reasonable hour. I'd keep writing, buuuuttt that would involve making like a fourteen or so page chapter. And well, I'm not sure how many people would actually be into reading that. (I like to think a lot, but I know I've a short attention span, so….)**


	10. Sasori, Master Puppeteer

As soon as he had finished speaking, Hiruko's mouth opened, releasing a spray of needles towards them. Naruto yelped, hiding behind his shield as he ran to take cover; Sakura and Sasuke dodged them, hiding behind a water trough. They pressed their backs against it, listening to the dull thud of needles embedding themselves into the side of the trough. Sakura glanced over at Naruto, who was cowering behind a broken sign, his shield covering the parts of his body that the sign couldn't. He peered over the top of his shield, catching her eyes; over the roar of the fighting, she could barely make out his words.

"What's the plan," He shouted, mouth poking above the shield so that he could be better heard. Sakura looked over at Sasuke, whose mouth was set into a grim line; she looked back over to Naruto.

"At the moment, it's to not die," Sakura replied; Naruto's eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief.

"That's not a very good plan!"

"That's why I'm trying to come up with a better one," Sakura muttered, peering over the edge of the trough. Hiruko's tail thrashed around him, acting as a defensive shield against any attacks from behind while his front continued to spray the needles. She saw how the tail protruded from an opening in his back; from within there she reasoned that Sasori was hidden. She sat back down against the trough, kneeling so that she was facing Sasuke.

"It looks like that puppet is both offensive and defensive," She said, catching his attention, "And judging from his attacks right now, it looks like we're going to have a hard time getting close to him."

"So we need to try and destroy him from a distance," Sasuke stated. She nodded, mind working quickly to try and figure out a solution. Her mind drifted to their fight in the desert; the image of one of Kankurou's puppets exploding caused her eyes to widen as she looked at Sasuke. He raised an eyebrow at her, silently asking her to voice her thoughts.

"Can you do that magic thing that you did in the desert," Sakura asked. Sasuke glanced behind them, mentally measuring the distance in his head between them and Hiruko. He sighed, brows drawn together as he turned to face her again.

"The distance is too far," He replied, "It's a good plan, and it would destroy him, but I only have control of magic within an arm's length."

"Hey guys," Naruto shouted, waving his hand, "I'd like to be part of the planning too ya know!"

"Well then what if we're a distraction for you," Sakura pressed onward, "You use that spell that you used on me with Shukaku, we distract him, you blow him to bits!"

"It's not exactly _safe _to subject people to that," Sasuke replied, "It damages the body on an imperceptible level, and it should only be used in desperate situations."

"And you don't think this is desperate," Sakura asked, gesturing to them hiding behind the trough. When her answer was met with silence, she smirked; Sasuke scoffed, conceding to her point.

"Fine," Sasuke said, "I'll give it to you first so you can distract him. Then I'll give it to Naruto so that he can join you; the both of you together should be _enough _of a nuisance for me to have a chance, though I can't guarantee it."

"Having a chance is all I ask for," Sakura replied, holding out her hand to him. He grasped her hand tightly, focusing his energy and muttering the spell; again she felt that familiar warmth as her body seemed to become lighter than air. She let go of his hand, grasping the handle of her axe and pulling it out; the sound of the metal sliding out of the holster coincided with the silence from the needles ceasing. She looked over at Naruto, giving him thumbs up before jumping over the trough.

"It's now or never," She shouted, charging towards Hiruko. Hiruko watched, expression the same as she began to charge towards him.

"_So they managed to dodge the poison on the needles," _He thought, _"No matter; there's more than one way to kill a dwarf." _

As he finished the thought, his left arm shot out from the rest of his body. As it flew, cylindrical projectiles began detaching themselves from it; as they flew, they suddenly opened, releasing more needles through the air. Sakura dodged the arm and, using her axe, knocked aside multiple needles as she continued to rush towards Hiruko. Hiruko watched her, though out of the corner of his eye he spotted a blur of yellow rushing from behind a sign towards him. He whipped his tail towards him, eyes still trained on Sakura.

"_If these brats think they can surprise me, they have another thing coming," _He thought, watching as Naruto barely avoided the tail. The tail then snapped towards Sakura, aiming towards her legs; she jumped over it, raising her axe high above her head before slamming it down into the mask on his back. Hiruko felt the wood splintering from the force, though because it was reinforced with Sasori's magic, it wasn't enough to cause it to break. He swiveled his head, his eyes staring at her as he raised his tail, poised to run her through with it. As it moved to strike, Sakura ducked, allowing Naruto to leap over her and run his sword through one of the joints; as he hit the ground, his sword pinned the tail down as well, rendering it useless.

"Now Sasuke," Sakura shouted, causing Hiruko's head to swivel back forward. He watched, unable to do anything as Sasuke charged towards him, eyes determined, hand bleeding from a self-inflicted wound.

"_Tyara harwar," _He shouted, hand outstretched; immediately Hiruko's body exploded, sending Sakura and Naruto flying backwards from the force. Sasori leaped from the wreckage, skidding farther away from them. Sasori watched as they stood up, their grip tight on their weapons; he smirked, pulling out a scroll from his back pocket.

"Good job on destroying Hiruko," Sasori said, "But let's see how you deal with my other puppets."

He threw the scroll into the air, the paper unravelling as it went upwards; he reached inside his cloak, the clasp coming undone to reveal as he opened a compartment on his chest. Inside the compartment was what appeared to be a black cylinder; as he raised his hands to the sky, strings shot out from the cylinder towards the scroll.

"No way," Naruto muttered, eyes wide with shock, "He's a puppet as well!?"

"Now rise," Sasori shouted, waving his hand down to the ground, "My puppet army!"

A cloud of smoke suddenly encased the scroll; as they watched in horrified fascination, hundreds of puppets descended from the cloud, each of them wearing a red cloak. Soon a wall of wooden bodies blocked Sasori from their vision; Sakura grit her teeth, hands tightening on her axe.

"Attack," Sasori commanded; at his word, the puppets charged forward. Sakura gave a shout, charging forward as well, with Naruto and Sasuke following closely behind her.

* * *

Away from Sasori's battle, Isobu roared as he shot out more water at Kakashi; Kakashi pounded his staff on the ground, signaling earthen walls to rise from the ground around him. Despite the water hitting the walls, they stood strong, only crumbling when Kakashi motioned for them to do so. Deidara watched the confrontation with interest as he sat astride Isobu, pulling out clay birds from his pouch.

"You're certainly interesting, yeah," Deidara shouted, "But let's see how you deal with my art!"

He threw them out into the air, the birds falling like rain towards Kakashi. Kakashi grit his teeth, raising his staff above his head and swirling it. A great wind was summoned, halting the birds in midair before they pelted Kakashi; Deidara smirked, bringing his hands together in front of him as if he were about to pray.

"Boom," He muttered; suddenly the birds exploded, creating a firestorm above his head. The tip of Kakashi's hat quickly caught on fire; Rin screeched as she hid beneath his hat, prompting a curse form him. He slammed the end of his staff onto the ground as a powerful stream of water spewed from the tip, extinguishing the flames. Kakashi glanced up at Deidara who sat on Isobu, smirking triumphantly at watching him panic.

"You use fire magic," Kakashi noted as Rin poked her head out from underneath the hat.

"Hmph, that's just to make it explode," Deidara stated, grinning, "My real specialty is in earth magic; I mean, how else would I make these beautiful sculptures that lead you to your death, yeah?"

"Earth, huh," Kakashi muttered, glancing up at him. He reached up under his hand, extending his finger towards Rin; she nuzzled it gently, chirping worriedly. He smiled beneath his mask, pulling his hand away to join his other hand on the staff.

"No need to worry," Kakashi stated, "Everything will be fine."

* * *

Naruto grunted as he dodged another hit, his back slamming into Sasuke's. He heard him mutter a curse as an arrow flew off course; the sword in Sasuke's hand though quickly took care of the incoming puppet. Sasuke pressed his back more into Naruto's, each of them covering their weaknesses as they continued to fight the onslaught.

"Watch where you're going, moron," Sasuke shouted above the din of battle. Naruto scoffed, hacking off the head of a puppet while shoving his shield into the face of another.

"Me," Naruto questioned, sliding his sword into the other puppet's abdomen. "_You _should be watching where you're going! Or rather, where you're standing."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, an arrow lodging itself in a puppet's elbow joint. The puppet glanced at the joint, trying to move their arm; as they tried, the arm suddenly fell off, rendering the puppet without the weapons on that arm. "Not my fault you don't have any grace when you fight."

"Really," Naruto asked in exasperation, "You're choosing _now _to critique my fighting style?"

Sasuke shrugged, his sword blocking a puppet's blade as he muttered the spell. Naruto shielded his face as the puppet exploded into chips of wood, the force blowing back a few other puppets. "At least you're not like Sakura I guess."

Naruto barked out a laugh, holding up his shield to block the blades from slicing through him. He struggled to hold them at bay, pushing back with all his might. "True, she is like a raging bull."

As Sasuke nodded in agreement, a blur of pink and black caught his eye. He watched as Sakura sliced through the puppets pushing against Naruto's shield; immediately after he felt a rush of air as her blade barely missed cutting him, catching a puppet that had decided to sneak up on him while he was distracted. Sakura grinned, standing up to her full height and lofting her axe over her shoulder.

"Now then, what were you two saying about me," Sakura asked, her demeanor practically oozing with the smugness she felt at saving them. Sasuke rolled his eyes, shoving his sword through another puppet as it tried to charge him from the side.

"We were saying that you're like a raging bull," He said, pulling the sword out of the puppet; it fell to the ground limply. Sakura huffed, placing her other hand on her hip as she glared at Sasuke.

"Well, this 'raging bull' just rescued you," Sakura began; she swung her axe behind her, slicing through two puppets charging behind her, "_And _has just destroyed her twentieth puppet!"

"Really Sakura," Naruto groaned, fighting back a puppet, "You're keeping count at a time like this?"

Sakura grinned, reaching into her boot and pulling out a dagger; she threw it at the puppet, causing it to lodge in its head. It turned to look at her, only to be sliced through by Naruto. "But of course I am," She replied, "After all, it wouldn't be a proper fight if I don't keep count of my kills?"

Naruto shook his head in disbelief. "You're crazy," Naruto said, "Isn't that right Sasuke?"

Sasuke sliced down another puppet before turning to look at them. "Twenty-five," He replied, before going back to fighting.

Naruto and Sakura blinked, both slightly shocked by what he said. Naruto recovered quicker, disbelief still written on his face. "Uh…what?"

"I said," Sasuke repeated, "Twenty-five," He thrust his sword through another puppet, throwing it off his sword and knocking it into another, causing it to tumble at Sakura's feet. "Twenty-six if you count the stabbed one," He said, meeting Sakura's eyes.

Sakura blinked again, before grinning in delight. "Well then," She said, slamming her boot down into the puppet's chest, "Let the games truly begin!" She then slammed another dagger down into the puppet, ceasing all movements from it. Sasuke smirked at her response, running into the throes of battle right after her; Naruto watched their backs, mind trying to process everything.

"How the hell did they get that many," Naruto muttered, shaking his head as he followed them into battle, "I've only gotten like ten."

Naruto sighed, adjusting his grip on his sword and shield; as he readied himself to go into battle though, a great thunderclap could be heard in the sky. Sasori glanced up, allowing Sasuke and Sakura to destroy more puppets, their bodies moving at speeds a mere mortal could only dream of. Lightning danced across the sky; Isobu roared in what sounded like agony, causing Naruto to glance over in the direction of Kakashi's battle. His eyes widened in amazement as he watched Kakashi control the lightning, his staff glowing with a brilliant light; with a wave of his hand, the lightning struck Isobu, causing him to roar again in agony as he began falling to the ground. He saw as Kakashi glanced over at their battle, seeing how despite their best efforts they were still vastly outnumbered. He turned his attention back to his battle with Isobu, snapping his fingers; in an instant lightning struck down multiple enemies.

"About time he did something useful," Sakura muttered, slicing through a puppet. Sasuke smirked, jumping back as a bolt of lightning struck his opponent.

"He is a little busy at the moment," Sasuke mentioned, his back facing Sakura's; Sakura pressed back against him, suddenly launching herself forward and slicing through more enemies. She skidded to a stop her body crouched as she held her axe behind her. As she stood, the puppets that she had sliced through fell to pieces. The sound of clapping brought their attention over to Sasori, watching them with amusement.

"Well done," He said, "You've destroyed over half of my army. Though I must say, it seems you two are the only competent close-range fighters."

Sasuke drew his sword, poised to strike; Sakura raised her arm, causing him to look at her in bewilderment. She glanced back at him briefly before staring Sasori straight in the eye.

"Go help Naruto," Sakura said, adjusting her grip on her axe, "I'll take care of this bastard."

"You," Sasori laughed as he asked, his eyes surveying her amusedly, "A little dwarf like you would die before you even got a hit on me."

"Then let's see if I will," Sakura replied, watching him carefully. Sasuke grasped her by the shoulder tightly, brow creased in confusion over her actions.

"What the hell are you doing," Sasuke demanded, "You're going to get yourself killed!"

She glanced back at him, a small smile on her face. "Better to get one replaceable person killed than the entire band," She replied, shrugging his hand off her shoulder. "Now go; Naruto needs you to finish off those puppets."

Sasuke grit his teeth, though he nodded and raced off to help Naruto in his battle. Sakura got into a defensive stance, axe held in both hands, waiting for Sasori to make the first move. He chuckled, his hand grasping the clasp of his cloak, ripping it form his body in a fluid motion.

"If you wish to take me on," Sasori began, "Then let's see how you deal with my ultimate forms!"

Pipes suddenly sprang out from his back, the ends fanning out into five blades; his stomach opened, a long metal coil spiked at the tip rolling out. Sakura grit her teeth, crouching down, her axe held defensively in front of her. Sasori smirked at her reaction, the coil moving with a mind of its own.

"Now die," Sasori shouted, his hand pointing towards her. The coil flew towards her, the tip aiming straight for her heart. Sakura dodged it, knowing that if she were to deflect it he would get rid of her weapon. As she moved, the coil wrapped itself around her legs; her eyes widened as it tossed through the air, her body flying before slamming into the ground. She blinked away the haze that had come over her mind, sitting up as she glared at Sasori. The coil immediately flew towards her, aiming to spear her through the stomach; Sakura rolled out of the way, hissing as it grazed her side, the tip embedding in the earth beside her.

Sasori smirked, using the coil as an anchor to launch himself high into the air. The blades at his sides began rotating, acting as propellers to launch himself towards Sakura. Sakura stood up, watching as he began to speed towards her. She immediately held up her axe, Sasori's blades creating sparks as it clashed against hers. She gritted her teeth together, using her strength to push him back, giving her enough space to grasp the coil and pull him towards her, the blades moving off course. Sasori's eyes widened as he watched her drop the axe and pull back her fist, intending to punch him. As he came forward, her fist made contact with the black cylinder in his chest; the force was so great that it went flying, the cords around it seeming to wither once they hit the air. His body went limp, falling into her arms, the black cylinder falling to the ground.

Sakura panted, throwing the wooden body away from her. She watched as Naruto and Sasuke finished up the last of the puppets, the task having become easier once he had fallen. She picked up her axe, jogging over to meet them; Naruto glanced up, grinning to see that she was still alive.

"I see you're still alive," Naruto said happily. Sasuke rolled his eyes, wiping the dust from his sword.

"I told you she'd be fine," Sasuke said. Naruto looked at him questioningly, eyebrow raised.

"You certainly weren't acting like that," Naruto pointed out, "You were even more cross than usual, being like 'Just focus on killing things idiot. We don't have time to worry about her.' You were _just _as worried as I was."

Sasuke grunted, causing Sakura to giggle slightly at his antics. Suddenly, a large explosion took place over by Kakashi; their heads snapped over to the area, hands tight on their weapons. Smoke billowed from where Deidara and Isobu had been, though from how it was billowing they were unable to see Kakashi at all.

"We should see if he's alright," Naruto said; Sasuke and Sakura nodded. The trio began heading over there, ready to take on whatever came their way. Behind them, without their notice, one of the puppets began to move, its body not completely. It stood, sword drawn; it charged towards them, heading straight towards Naruto who was trailing behind them. Sasuke heard it move, turning and watching with wide eyes as it positioned its sword to run Naruto through.

"Watch out," Sasuke shouted, causing Naruto to stop and turn. His blue eyes went wide, meeting the murderous gaze of Sasori, though it was quickly blocked by black cloth. Blood splattered on the ground as the sword ran through Sakura's side, the tip of it coming out behind her.

"S…Sakura…." Naruto breathed; Sakura glanced behind her, shooting him a weary smile. She turned and glared at Sasori, who merely looked on in mild confusion.

"How did you survive," Sakura demanded, her hands gripping the sword. Sasori smirked, making no moves to try to remove the sword.

"As long as my core survives, I will never die," Sasori said, pushing his sword further into her. She gasped, grip tightening at the pain that shot through her. Suddenly a sword ran through the core, causing Sasori to look down in surprise at his chest; Sakura's eyes widened as she glanced behind him, seeing Sasuke standing behind him. Sasori's head swiveled to look at him, eyes wide.

"How did you…" Sasori began, though was cut off with a gasp as he pushed it further, mimicking his earlier actions.

"I went to protect Naruto," Sasuke replied, "But Sakura got there first. By the time you spoke, I was already behind you."

Sasuke yanked the sword from his body, causing him to fall to the ground. Blood began to trickle from his mouth, his eyes staring up at the sky as he died. Sakura fell to her knees, hands clutching the wound; she slowly pulled out the sword, hissing in pain, tossing it to the side once it was out. Naruto ran to her side, kneeling beside her, eyes shining with concern.

"Are you alright," Naruto asked, hand tight on her shoulder. Sakura looked at him, gritting her teeth tightly, blood staining her shirt.

"I'll be fine…" Sakura said, "The better question…is are you alright?"

Naruto nodded, speechless at her selfless act; from the ground, Sasori began to laugh. Sasuke glared at him, pointing the sword at his throat, ready to destroy the body if he tried anything else. Sasori glanced at him before turning his head towards Sakura and Naruto, a smirk on his face.

"I may die….but I…will have taken her with me…" Sasori gasped out, his voice coming out softly as more blood gurgled to the surface. Naruto stood up, drawing out his own sword and joining Sasuke in pointing it at his neck.

"What the hell does that mean you bastard," Naruto shouted, teeth gritted together. Sasori smirked, looking up at him.

"My blades…are covered in poison," Sasori explained, "So while…she lives tonight…in three days, she will die. It will…be painful…she will be paralyzed…and on that third night…she will be _mine." _

Naruto roared, shoving his sword deep into Sasori's chest; Sasori's back arched, head falling to the side as he took his last breath. Naruto panted, rage still setting his blood to boil inside of him; from behind him he could hear Sakura rummaging through her pouch.

"Why…" Naruto asked, turning to look at her. "Why would you do that?!"

Sakura looked up at him, pulling out small pills from her pouch. "Because it's my job to protect you, not only as a part of this group, but as a friend. And I'll be damned if I see any of my friends die on this journey!"

"But now you're going to die," Naruto shouted, gesturing at her wound. Sakura shook her head, popping the pills in her mouth; her throat moved as she swallowed them, grimacing.

"I have some poison antidotes," Sakura replied, "And while it may not be enough to keep some of the effects from happening, it should be enough to keep me from getting paralyzed. By that time, I hope we'll be somewhat close to the elves."

"My clan has healers that can help," Sasuke added, looking at Naruto, "If she can last the ride out to the forest, she should be fine."

"But what if she doesn't," Naruto shouted, eyes almost brimming with tears, "What if the pills don't work and she dies?!"

"No one is dying on my watch," Sasuke said calmly, "Not when it can be prevented. I promise this to you."

"An elf promise is a pretty serious promise," Sakura noted, trying to soothe Naruto's worries. He saw Kakashi coming up behind them, clothes singed and damp, for the most part unharmed. He sighed, hands falling to his sides, smiling weakly at his companions.

"Well," Naruto said, "Guess we better get started now."

* * *

Kaguya smiled, stroking the head of Gedo; he nuzzled into her hand, a rumble of approval sounding in his throat. Kaguya slowly stood from the ground, looking over at Pein and Konan.

"Isobu has died," Kaguya said. Konan's eyes widened, while Pein merely kept a blank face.

"How do you know my lady," Konan asked; Kaguya stared at Gedo lovingly, stroking between his eyes.

"While I was merging Choumei, I felt the loss," Kaguya explained, "When they are under my control, I am one with the dragons; I feel everything that happens. Deidara will be punished for his failure."

"As he should be," Pein agreed, nodding his head. Kaguya smiled, walking towards them, her robes swishing behind her. Her eyes were trained on the figure standing in the shadows behind Pein and Konan, his dark eyes observing the entire affair.

"All shall be well though," She said, "After all…We have a new addition to our ranks. It brings me great pleasure to welcome you, Itachi Uchiha."

Itachi looked up at her, eyes cold, dressed in the robes that signified joining her side. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Kaguya."

* * *

**A/N: I went to Otakon this weekend, so adding in all that travel time and awesome time and stuff, it makes sense that this wouldn't come out on Sunday. Totes my goats acceptable, right? Right. I think so at least, and that's what matters. (I also got back at like, midnight on Sunday, and had work the next day…So ya. THAT happened)**


	11. Captured

They had been traveling for almost two weeks now, having only entered the forest two days ago. Sasuke had felt his body relax once he saw the lush grass, despite Naruto's consistent worrying over Sakura and her equally consistent assurances that she was fine. Thinking about their bickering caused him to glance back at Naruto, who held Sakura against his chest; while she hadn't developed paralysis due to her pills, she had developed a crippling fever that had her slipping in and out of consciousness most days. They had decided that she should ride with them, lest she fall off Varak and injure herself even more. Currently she was beginning to wake up from her slumber, Naruto's face hovering mere inches away from hers, anxiety clear on his features.

"Are you alright," Naruto asked; Sakura groaned, holding her head. "Does your side hurt? Do you need some water, because I have a lot of water if-"

"Naruto," Sakura grumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Naruto halted his questions, watching her carefully.

"What is it," Naruto asked, his body practically raised from the saddle as he leaned closer to her. Sakura rolled her eyes, shoving him back down into the saddle as she straightened up.

"I'm fine," She muttered, stretching, "Just a little sore from sleeping is all."

"Well we can stop to stretch," Naruto suggested, "I'm sure no one will mind; right Kakashi? Sasuke?"

Sakura rolled her eyes again as Kakashi glanced over at Sasuke. "It would probably do us all some good to get a stretch in," Kakashi said, "Besides, we're not that far away from your clan's village, right?"

Sasuke shook his head. "At the rate we're going, we'll most likely get there by the evening; at the latest, we'll be there by the time night has fallen."

Sakura sighed. "Fine," She conceded; Naruto grinned as he stopped his horse, "But when we begin riding again, I demand to ride with Sasuke."

"What," Naruto exclaimed, clambering down from his horse. He grasped Sakura's hand, helping her down; she stumbled slightly, regaining her balance quickly. "Why would you do that," He asked, holding out a canteen for her.

"Because you're being far too overprotective," Sakura replied, taking the canteen. She drank from it, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand as she gave it back to him. "Just because I've been poisoned doesn't mean I'm an invalid."

"Well yeah," Naruto said, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's just, you're my friend, so…ya know, I just don't want to see you in pain or anything."

Sakura sighed, ruffling his hair gently, earning an annoyed pout from Naruto. "I'll make you a deal; every time I seem to be in pain, you beat up Sasuke. Sound like a good idea?"

"That sounds like a horrible idea," Sasuke said, frowning. Sakura merely smiled sweetly, her eyes shining with both fever and hidden mischief. Naruto grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as he joined in her mischief.

"I think that sounds like a great idea," Naruto said, "Kakashi, what do you think?" He asked, looking over at the mage. Kakashi merely shrugged, watching as Rin happily flew around his hat.

"Whatever helps keep the peace between you three," Kakashi replied, Rin flying between the trinkets hanging from his hat. Sasuke glared over at him; Kakashi merely replied with a small smile.

"Traitorous mage," Sasuke muttered, climbing down from his horse. Naruto and Sakura laughed, for a moment forgetting about any dangers that may occur. While their guards were down, a small black and white bird observed them from high in the trees; it silently flew away to report what it had saw to its master.

* * *

Sai sat atop a tree branch, black eyes scanning the tops of the trees as soldiers scavenged through the mess below. From his point he saw a lake created by a large waterfall; he knew that the body of dragon's holder had already been removed, but he had still been unfortunate enough to see the carnage left over from the fight. A small chirping sound distracted him from his thoughts; glancing over his shoulder, he saw his bird flying towards him. He held out a scroll for the bird to land on, opening it to a blank page. As the bird touched down, it instantly melted away into ink, leaving in its wake a message to him. He read the message, rolling the scroll up as he finished. He stood, jumping down from his spot towards the soldiers below.

"Prepare yourselves," He said, landing on the ground. The men stopped what they were doing, turning to look at him in interest. He smiled, his face holding no real joy, only fake amusement at the news he was announcing.

"The last Uchiha is coming home."

* * *

Sasuke felt Sakura sigh; her back nestled against his front, her head resting on his shoulder. As he rode with her, he understood why Naruto was concerned, as every time their skin brushed it felt as if she burned him. He glanced down at her, the top of her head blocking a proper look at her face; though judging from the slight flush of her cheeks and the tenseness of her body, he assumed that she was uncomfortable.

"So…" Sakura began; it was only until she spoke that he realized that the silence had been insufferable. "What's your, uh, village like?"

"It's quiet," He began, mind searching for the perfect description. "Our homes are camouflaged in the trees, so it's almost as if we don't exist."

"You mean you actually _live _in those things," Sakura asked, gesturing towards the trees. Sasuke smirked, maneuvering to get a better look at her expression.

"Why," Sasuke asked, "Afraid of heights?"

"Of course not," Sakura replied indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "I just like to have something firm beneath my feet is all. It comes with being a dwarf and working in a mountain you know."

"Ah," Sasuke said, nodding, "So you aren't _afraid _per say, you just dislike it strongly."

"That's right," Sakura said, nodding. "Besides, you didn't look too comfortable in the halls of the Haruno clan; a bit claustrophobic are we?" She asked, smirking.

Sasuke felt the tips of his ears go red at her statement. "Hn, of course not," He replied, "I just strongly dislike enclosed spaces."

Sakura hummed in response, nodding against him. Silence overtook them again, though Sasuke felt as if she desired to say more. She fidgeted with the reins, causing Sasuke to sigh at her nervous behavior.

"If you want to say something, just say it," Sasuke said. Sakura looked down at her hands, still running her fingers over the smooth leather. He was about to prod her again, though she finally took a breath and decided to speak.

"What if they won't help," Sakura muttered, casting her glance to the side. Sasuke blinked, taken aback at seeing her act insecure. "What if, because I'm a dwarf, they decide to just let me…you know, die?"

"Do you truly think so lowly of my clan," Sasuke asked; Sakura glanced up at him, the top of her head resting against his chest.

"No," She began, "It's just…Well, there are sometimes those people that are just prejudiced. And, you know, when they're prejudiced, they can manipulate other people to do what they want; and if they want me dead, well…" She trailed off, waving her hand dismissively.

"I told you before in the village, didn't I," Sasuke asked, "Nobody is dying on my watch. That happens to include particularly irritating dwarves such as yourself. If anyone gives us any problems about it, then I will personally talk to them."

Sakura looked up at him, feeling her cheeks burn with something other than fever. He glanced down at her, eyebrow raised in question; before she had a chance to speak though, a shout from Naruto drew their attention away from each other. They glanced over, seeing him pointing further ahead, his face drawn in worry. They followed his gaze; Sakura felt Sasuke's body tense around hers as they watched smoke rise from the trees, signaling that somewhere ahead was a fire. She looked up at him, noticing that his jaw was clenched tightly, his hands gripping on the reins.

"_Sasuke…" _She thought worriedly, knowing that somewhere ahead was his village. Sasuke clicked his heels into his horse's side, setting off at a gallop, ignoring the protests of Naruto as Kakashi merely followed. It seemed like mere moments had only passed when they entered the area, fires burning in the trees where houses once stood. Sasuke watched in horror, scanning the remains of the village for any signs of life; his eyes locked in on a specific house, causing him to jump off his horse.

"Sasuke," Sakura called out, "Sasuke, where are you going?"

"To find my family," Sasuke shouted back, running towards the ladder. Sakura watched as he jumped onto it, barely noticing how Kakashi came behind her and began spraying water everywhere in an effort to cease the inferno. Naruto rode after him, eyes wide in horrid fascination at the spectacle before him.

Sasuke pushed open the door, running throughout the house. He slammed open doors, calling out for his parents and Itachi; as each second passed with no response, his heart raced even faster in his chest. Finally, as he was panting and out of breath, he came to his parents' room; hands trembling, he pushed the door open, only to be met with the sight of their corpses splayed across the ground. A shadow stood above them, seemingly inspecting them; it stood slowly, revealing a young man who looked almost identical to Sasuke.

"Who are you…?" Sasuke demanded; the man gave no response, further angering him. "What the hell have you done to my family?!"

"I have merely done what I was told to do," He replied, a smile on his face; Sakura's scream was suddenly heard from outside, causing Sasuke to rush to the window. He watched in helplessness as a black cloth bag was draped over her head, her body being dragged off the horse. He saw as Naruto and Kakashi tried to fend off other attackers, but the two of them were no match for the seemingly endless number of assailants. The last thing he saw before the man in the room smashed the handle of a sword into the back of his neck was Sakura's struggling body ceasing movements as soldiers knocked her unconscious.

* * *

Sasuke groaned, slowly swimming back to consciousness; how long he was out, he hadn't a clue, but he knew it was long enough to have been transported somewhere else. The dampness in the air and the rough stone against his cheek let him know that it was a cell. He sat up, holding the back of his head, cursing as it pounded relentlessly. He glanced around, noticing that he was alone in his cell, and that the one across from him was empty.

"Sasuke," Naruto's voice called out, echoing throughout the corridor. Sasuke stood up, pressing his face against the metal bars to get a better view of him; he could barely make out the blonde hair of the heir who was doing the exact same thing. "About time you woke up," Naruto called out, "I thought you were dead or something!"

"Where are we," Sasuke asked; he thought he heard Naruto shrug, though he couldn't have been sure.

"Not sure," Naruto replied, "All I know is that I was knocked out, and then I woke up here with Kakashi's ugly mug looking back at me."

"Is it really necessary to add insult to injury," Kakashi asked; Sasuke heard chains rattling, which he assumed to be Kakashi trying to move. Hearing the chains reminded him that he wasn't bound by anything; he wondered if the same applied to Naruto and Sakura.

"How's it looking with you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked, turning his attention back to the blonde. He heard Naruto shuffle around, seemingly examining the cell, before pressing his face back against the bars.

"Well, they gave me a bucket to do business in," Naruto replied cheerfully, "And I get to move around, so at least I'm better off than Kakashi!"

"Again, is this really necessary," Kakashi replied again. Although Sasuke couldn't see it, he was imaging Naruto pouting at Kakashi, his arms crossed over his chest as he replied.

"Hey, don't be mad that I'm just trying to be positive," Naruto protested, "After all, there's not much to be optimistic about, now is there?"

Sasuke heard a grunt from Kakashi, which he assumed was agreement. He noticed though that during the entire exchange, he had yet to hear Sakura's voice; worry began to gnaw at him. "Where's Sakura?"

"You mean she's not over there?" Naruto asked; Sasuke clenched his hands around the bars, thinking that if he could focus just the right amount, he _might _be able to break through these bars with magic.

"Don't bother," A voice called out as a door opened. Light spilled from the hallway, casting the shadow of an older man walking with a cane. Beside him walked an unknown guard who dragged Sakura beside him; hand tight on her upper arm. The man reached the cell across from Sasuke, opening the door; the guard tossed her in, causing her to cry out in pain.

"You bastard," Naruto shouted, "When I get out of here, I'm going to beat you senseless!"

The man smirked, turning to face Naruto; Sasuke saw that one of his eyes was covered in bandages, the other gleaming with malice. "I wish you the best of luck," He said, "Your cells are specially designed for each of you; one to block basic magic that elves like to use, the other to keep pesky mages like Kakashi from doing anything."

"Why are you doing this," Sasuke growled; the man turned to him, the smirk still on his face.

"Because, when Lady Kaguya desires something, she will do whatever it takes to get it." He explained. "She desired your clan's disposal, so I gave it to her; now, she desires the annihilation of dwarves and the Hyuuga, which I am slowly working on getting to her. Unfortunately, I don't know their location, so for now they are safe."

"And we'll die before we ever give it to you," Sasuke spat, hands tight on the bars. He smiled eerily, as if enjoying a personal joke told to him by a close friend.

"Ah, well I know one of you certainly will," He said, looking over at Sakura. She lay on her cell floor, panting, eyes screwed shut in pain. It was then that Sasuke noticed she was covered in bruises that hadn't been there before; it was obvious that she had been tortured. He felt as if fire was coursing through his veins, sparking every muscle into an uncontrollable urge to kill the man that stood before him. He chuckled at Sasuke's expression, turning his back as he began to walk away from them.

"I hope you sleep well," He called out to them, "Because I intend to have my information by the end of the week." He said; the door shut behind him, shrouding them in darkness.

* * *

**A/N: So I moved in to a new place; spent this weekend unpacking and packing and yaaayyyy. I hope I didn't make anyone cry with this chapter (And if I did, I hope it wasn't TOO hard) Just felt that we needed some good 'ol fashioned Sasuke angst! (lulz, like we don't get that already)**


	12. Confinement

Their imprisonment continued on in the same fashion each day; the man, whose name they learned was Danzou, would come to escort Sakura out of her cell with another guard. When darkness had fallen, and the only light offered was the wavering warmth of the torches, she was carelessly tossed back into her cell, her limp body skidding across the stones. Some days she was covered in gashes; on others, she shivered violently, body soaked to the bone from what Sasuke could only assume were the guards holding her underwater. Despite the physical tortures they put her through, she would push herself up on shaky arms, reassuring them that she would be fine; she would then eat the meager dinner they offered her before promptly falling asleep. The process then repeated again the next day; Sasuke vaguely wondered if this was Danzou's torture for them as well.

It was on the fifth day of their confinement that the routine was broken. Instead of one of the regular guards coming in to watch them while Sakura was tortured, a man named Sai sat in a chair facing Naruto and Sasuke's cells. Sasuke recognized him as the man that had stood before his parents' corpses, smiling the entire time; just looking at him set his blood boiling. He kept his hatred quiet though, because he knew if he spoke they would make Sakura's torture _more _unpleasant. So he sat quietly, glaring daggers at him, while Naruto broke the silence for the group.

"You've got a lot of nerve, coming here." Naruto spat, his jaw clenched tightly as he glared at Sai. Sai glanced up at him, confusion marring his features as he halted the movements of his brush over a scroll.

"I don't understand," Sai replied, "I am merely following orders; why would you be mad at me and not Lord Danzou?"

"I'm pissed at him too," Naruto shouted, "But you led that assault on the elves, right?! So I should be pissed at you as well, orders or not!"

"I didn't lead the assault either," Sai said, head quirked in confusion, "I merely was ordered to dispose of the mess that Lady Kaguya's men had created after coming in; the only assault I led was the capture of your group."

"So they retrieved Choumei, hm," Kakashi muttered; Sai glanced up at the ceiling, the end of his brush pressed against his lips in thought.

"If you're talking about where they went during the battle, then from what I heard, that is true," Sai explained, "I also heard that one of the elves went with them."

Sasuke jerked his head up at Sai's words; he moved closer to the bars, finally speaking up after staying quiet. "Who was it," Sasuke demanded; Sai looked at him, his expression slightly amused.

"Ah, so you can speak," Sai asked. Sasuke growled, pressing his face closer to the bars, hoping against hope he could slide through and strangle him.

"Just tell me who it was damn it," Sasuke shouted, pounding on the bars. Sai blinked, taken aback by this display of emotion from the elf. However, he glanced back up at the ceiling, deep in thought, trying to recollect the name that he had overheard.

"I believe they said it was Itachi Uchiha," Sai stated, looking back at him. He noticed how Sasuke's eyes widened, his grip slackening on the bars. "Does the name sound familiar?"

Sasuke slumped away from the bars, falling to his knees as he tried to process what was said. Thousands of images from their years together flashed through his mind; he balled his hands into fists as he glared at Sai.

"_Lle utinu en lokirim," _Sasuke shouted, nails digging into the palms of his hands. Sai flinched slightly from the volume of his voice, though his expression showed no fear as he continued. "He would never betray the clan; he is my brother, and he wished for Kaguya's end like the rest of us! Telling lies like that…_amin feuya ten'lle!" _

"I am merely telling you what I heard," Sai said calmly, "There is no reason to-"

"_Dina," _Sasuke practically screamed at him, eyes burning with a fury foreign to Sai. He immediately shut his mouth, hearing the door to the dungeon opening. He glanced to his side, watching as a guard walked beside Sakura, her green eyes still shining with determination despite her shaking limbs.

"He need a reminder of who's in charge," The guard asked, jerking his head towards Sasuke. Sai shook his head, giving a smile to the guard.

"No need," He replied, "He is merely grieving because of the truth."

"_Auta miqula orqu," _Sasuke spat, glaring at Sai. The guard shrugged, dragging Sakura over to her cell; as he fiddled with the keys, he glanced over his shoulder at Sai.

"Lord Danzou requests your presence," He replied, sticking the key into the lock. "He is in a meeting with the Lady Kaguya right now, so be prepared for a foul mood."

Sakura snorted. "A dwarf prisoner not enough for him? Or is he too good to stick his royal dick into a prisoner?"

"You watch your mouth dwarf," The guard growled, wrenching the door open, "You may be back in your cell, but that doesn't protect you."

"I don't _need _your protection," Sakura seethed. The guard clenched his teeth; a resounding slap suddenly echoed in the dungeon as he struck her across the cheek. Naruto called out her name as Sakura merely stared back at him, eyes shining with defiance. Her lips pursed together, spitting out a glob of saliva mixed with blood onto his face. He shoved her into the cell, hands balled into fists as he began to ruthlessly beat her, hands striking wherever he could.

Sasuke watched as Sakura tried to block, his hands gripping tightly around the bars; the guard merely beat past her hands as he also began to kick her in the sides. His body felt on fire as he watched her go limp, feeling words on the tip of his tongue that, for some reason, he felt as though would save her. Sai glanced over at him, immediately pulling out his scroll; Kakashi also glanced over, feeling the rise of untapped power. Before he had a chance to do anything though, a black and white dog had already pushed the guard away from Sakura, baring its teeth threateningly as it growled. The guard glanced over at Sai, brush and scroll in hand, glaring with hatred.

"I was teaching her a lesson," He shouted, gesturing at the unconscious Sakura. Sai stepped forward, standing beside the dog.

"And I am teaching you one as well," Sai replied, "You should show restraint, at least in front of the prisoners."

"And why should I," The guard spat; Sai merely smiled, pulling another scroll out and unfurling it. The guard's eyes widened as he saw the picture; a ferocious tiger glared back at him, its mouth pulled back in a snarl.

"Because I am your superior," Sai said cheerfully, "And as your superior, I am allowed to do what I see fit with their imprisonment. So show some restraint in here, else the consequences shall be…unpleasant."

The guard gulped, bowing slightly. "My apologies…" He grumbled, hurriedly heading back to his post. Sai began to walk from the corridor, passing by the cells to the door.

"I hope to see you four soon," Sai said, glancing back at them. "It was quite enjoyable spending time with you today." He smiled at them, opening the door and heading out into the light. It immediately closed behind him, leaving them to ponder his words and actions from before.

* * *

"I assure you, the information on the other dwarven clans shall be received soon." Danzou said, trying to reassure Kaguya on the situation at hand. He had thought that Sakura would break much sooner, what with the poison in her system; clearly though, her spirit was stronger than he anticipated.

Kaguya stared back at him, her hand resting atop the dragon's head. "For your sake, I hope so," Kaguya replied, "For it is only the location of the dwarves that I need to know; with Itachi on our side, I already know where the Hyuuga lie."

"Do you require assistance, my lady?" Danzou asked eager to try and placate her hidden anger. To his disappointment, she shook her head, eyebrows knitting together.

"I have enough men to take on those elves," Kaguya stated, "I am merely awaiting Deidara's return so that he can be properly dealt with. Once his situation is handled, I shall send those who are best suited for the mission to the Hyuuga; all you should worry about is giving me the locations of the dwarves."

"Of course my lady," Danzou murmured, bowing in apology. He felt her calculating gaze on him, holding his position so that she wouldn't think lowly of him and decide against working with him. He breathed an imperceptible sigh of relief as he heard her voice again, signaling that it was okay to look back up.

"I will be expecting progress soon," Kaguya said, waving her hand; the image in front of his face vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving behind the mirror on his vanity. He sighed, leaning back in his chair, massaging his temples. As soon as he had begun to feel like he could relax, a knock on the door brought him out of his thoughts.

"Come in," He called, straightening up in his chair. The door opened, Sai walking through; he bowed to Danzou before speaking.

"You wished to speak with me," Sai said, glancing at Danzou as he stood up straight. Danzou nodded, his mind still slightly preoccupied by his meeting with Kaguya.

"How are the prisoners," Danzou asked after a few moments of silence.

"They seem to be doing well," Sai reported, "Or, as well as one can be when locked in a dungeon. The young Uchiha elf is grieving the loss of his family, while the blonde boy angrily yells at everyone who he thinks is even remotely associated with the massacre."

"Have any of them told the location of the dwarves?" Danzou inquired; a frown marred his features as Sai shook his head.

"No sir; in fact, the young dwarf girl seems to merely grow stronger with every beating." Sai said, thinking back to how she acted after being brought in from her latest session. "She even had the nerve to insult your sexual preferences."

Danzou's eyebrows knit together as he heard Sai's explanation. "Well, if she's still so spritely, then tell the guards to increase her punishments. She should be coming back within an inch of her life, begging to be spared."

"With all due respect sire," Sai began carefully, knowing that what he was about to say could be taken poorly, "I think that if we were to do this, we should move the Uchiha elf to a different cell."

"And why is that," Danzou asked, suspicions suddenly heightening by his words. Sai took an imperceptible breath, calming himself, before continuing onwards.

"The guards beat the girl today in front of him," Sai explained, "While watching, I noticed that he began to exhibit signs of…increased magical ability."

"You're saying that their legend is truth rather than rumor?" Danzou asked incredulously; Sai merely nodded. Danzou stroked his chin, thinking deeply about what his next move should be concerning the young elf. Should he risk moving Sasuke to a different cell? If he did, the elf could possibly move fast enough to disarm his guards and free the other captives. However, he rationalized, if he left the elf in a cell not meant to block magical powers, he would escape either way. He looked at Sai, noticing how the young man was awaiting his next orders like the good soldier he was.

"Observe him," Danzou finally spoke, "If he continues to show any signs of magical ability, then we shall have him moved."

"But what of the dwarf girl's tortures," Sai asked. Danzou waved his hand in a dismissive manner, having already thought ahead to that specific problem.

"Your new position will be to continue to observe Kakashi's group." Danzou replied, "If you sense the power rising in the boy, you are to stop the guards; under no circumstances though, shall the torture of the girl be stopped. Am I understood?"

Sai nodded. "Understood; shall I take my leave?"

Danzou nodded, waving his hand towards the door as he turned away from Sai. Sai opened the door, quietly making his departure back to the dungeons, allowing Danzou to silently wallow in his thoughts. He turned back to face the mirror, mind replaying the conversation that he had mere moments; the image of Kaguya's calmly angered features seared in the forefront of his memories, her soulless eyes promising untold destruction if he failed. He slammed his fist down on the table, jaw clenched tightly as he glared into the mirror.

"_I will not fail," _He mentally promised to himself, _"Not after all the work I've put into this city." _

* * *

There was a change in their routine after that fifth day; Sai now came down every day, while the guards seemed to grow bolder in their treatment of Sakura. However Sai always seemed to step in before their abuse could get 'out of hand', or at least that's how Sai had put when they asked. Once the guards had left, Sai would take his place in his chair and draw, or take notes on observations he made.

"It's unnerving," Naruto said one day when Sai had left, "Every time we talk, even when we ignore him, he takes notes; it's like we're animals on display." He confessed, looking around the dungeon for any confirmation. Although he knew Naruto couldn't see, Sasuke nodded his head in agreement, giving a grunt as confirmation.

By the tenth day, Sai had begun to ask them questions; Sasuke and Naruto immediately took it as him trying to get information out of them for later usage. But when he took their silence calmly and moved onto other topics, they wondered if perhaps he was just looking for someone to relate to. Sakura, on the other hand, took much more kindly to Sai; since the guards had just taken to beating her in her cell and he continually came her to aid, gradually she came to hold guarded conversations with him, much to Naruto and Sasuke's annoyance.

"You know he's just pretending right," Naruto said one night after he had left. Sakura glanced over at him, her back pressed against stone walls of the cell. Sasuke watched as she shrugged, a small smile gracing her lips.

"He may be pretending, but at least it's a nice escape." She replied, "After all, the only thing you two seem to talk about is whether or not I'm alright."

"Because you're practically dying in front of us," Naruto shouted, slamming his hand against the bars. Sakura rolled her eyes, glaring in his direction.

"You think I don't know that," Sakura hissed. "You think I don't realize that my body could give out any _minute _now? Because I'm better in healing than you are Naruto, so I _do _realize this. But these few moments of civilized conversation…If I'm going to die, at least let me have those moments."

Naruto fell silent, staring at the floor in defeat. Silence overtook the dungeons, the only sound being water dripping in a faraway corner; suddenly, Sasuke's voice echoed. "You're not going to die."

She looked over at him, skepticism clear on her gaunt face. "Really? And what makes you so sure?"

"Because I said so," Sasuke replied, "And my word is as good as dwarven gold."

Sakura snorted. "Well Sasuke, if you've got any tricks up your sleeves, we're all ready to hear about them."

"I'm trying," Sasuke hissed, glaring at her through the bars. She merely glared back, knees drawn up to her chest.

"Then try harder," Sakura spat back, "Else the next thing you know, I'll be dead in front of you."

Sasuke felt his nails dig into his palms again, watching as she turned her back on him to sleep. Her clothes had become loose and ragged, barely fitting the frame that merely a week ago was a symbol of strength. He could tell that the effects of the poison still worked in her system as her cheeks were continually flushed, her eyes holding a slightly glassy look to them. He finally tore his gaze away, silently promising to himself that next time Sai wouldn't have a chance to step in before he acted.

* * *

"So you say he has continued to show the power," Danzou asked, pouring brandy into a small glass. Sai nodded, watching as Danzou quickly swallowed the liquor.

"It grows stronger each time," Sai replied, "And with each incident, he gains more control; at this rate, he will be able to break free."

"Tomorrow then," Danzou grunted, setting the glass down, "We move him to a new cell."

"Yes my lord," Sai said, bowing to Danzou. He turned to leave, though was halted by a raised hand. "Yes Lord Danzou," He asked a small smile on his face. Danzou observed him, hands steepled beneath his chin; finally, he spoke.

"Tell the guards tomorrow that it is the dwarf's final day." Danzou stated, "She is obviously not going to speak, so she should be…eliminated."

"Are you sure it's good to do this on the same day as the elf being moved?" Sai asked, a slight spark of concern flashing through his body. Danzou waved his hand dismissively, leaning back in his chair.

"You will be down there to assist them." Danzou replied, "If there is any trouble, you merely take care of the elf. Do you understand?"

Sai nodded. "Of course my lord."

"Very well; dismissed," Danzou said, waving his hand. Sai bowed again, exiting the room quickly. As the door closed, Danzou sighed, rubbing his temples as he imagined the scenarios for tomorrow; a grin worked its way onto his face as he thought.

"_Soon," _He thought, glancing up at the door, _"Soon, we shall be rid of the Uchiha elves." _

* * *

Lle utinu en lokirim: You son of snakes

Amin feuya ten'lle: You disgust me

Dina: Be silent

Auta miqula orqu: Go kiss an orc

**A/N: *blinks in surprise* Wow, first chapter in a while that WASN'T bum rushed on Sunday…Guess having work at night really DOES help with things, heh? Buuuttt, this might be the last regular chapter! School starts up, and with it comes studying, which also comes PANIC! And procrastination…so maybe there will still be regular? I'll try!**


	13. Escape

The sound of the cell door being violently opened awoke Sasuke from his slumber; hands grasped him roughly, yanking him out of his bed and pulling him out of the cell. Dazed, he took in his surroundings, noticing that he was being carried off by two guards as Sai observed the spectacle. He heard Naruto shouting obscenities at the guards, anger evident in his eyes; he glanced over at Sasuke, jerking his head towards Sakura cell. It was difficult for his sleep addled mind to understand, but one scream from Sakura was all he needed to awaken and know what was happening.

"Unhand me, you uncouth swine," Sakura shouted, thrashing in their grasps. The guards merely smirked at each other, the multiples days of torture having weakened her to the point of posing them no threat. The guard on her left leaned in close to her ear, his hot breath fanning across her face.

"I'd be nice to us if I were you," He said, grinning; she flinched slightly from his closeness. "After all, Lord Danzou said we could play with you before we had to kill you."

Sakura visibly blanched, though her eyes held steely determination. "Ah, you boys have been kicked out of your whores' beds, eh," She said, offering a smirk. "Don't blame the poor girls; I would've done the same."

A knife was suddenly pressed to her throat, causing her eyes to widen considerably. "Unless you want another hole for us to use, I'd shut it," The guard hissed, the edge of the blade gliding across her skin; a thin line of blood formed, as if to emphasize his point.

Sasuke watched the exchange, hands shaking with rage; he thrashed against the hold of his guards, causing them to tighten their grips on his biceps. He clenched his jaw, watching as he moved further away from Sakura as they were dragged in opposite directions. The power that he had felt during their imprisonment roared through his veins, singing a song of pure instinct and vengeance. Before Sai had even a moment to try and stop him, Sasuke had his fists clenched, words tumbling out of his mouth before he knew what was happening.

"_Ram en'naur," _He shouted, fire flaring up at his feet; the guards holding him let go, jumping back to avoid the flames that surrounded him. Sai cursed under his breath as he pulled out a scroll, his brush dancing across the page. Sasuke glared in his direction, holding up his hand towards the guards that held Sakura.

"_Koron en'naur," _Sasuke seethed; a large ball of fire blast from his hand, knocking into the chest of the guard that had spoken to her; he flew backwards, knocking into Sai, effectively pinning him to the ground. The other guard watched the display in awe, his attention diverted from Sakura; in an instant he was unconscious as well, a blow with every last ounce of Sakura's strength directed towards his throat knocking him to the floor as well. She panted, hands on her knees as she watched Sasuke take care of the other two guards with his newfound powers.

"Where…" She began, watching as he searched the guards for keys, "Where…the _hell_…did you learn…to do _that?" _

He shrugged, finding the ring and heading over to Naruto and Kakashi's cells. "I don't know," He replied, unlocking Naruto's door. "It just…came to me."

"That's a crock of shit and you know it!" Naruto shouted, stretching. Sasuke ignored his comment, quickly unlocking Kakashi's door and going to work on the mage's cuffs. "The most you could do is give us extra speed and stuff; now you're shooting fire like you're a dragon!"

"I told you the truth," He snapped, glaring over at Naruto. He managed to unlock the last cuff; Kakashi lowered his arms, gratefully rubbing his wrists.

"As much as I'd love to explain, our primary objective is finding our weapons and escaping." Kakashi replied. He reached up to the brim of his hat, closing his eyes as he focused on the small bird charm in his grasp. Suddenly, a bright light shot from the charm, taking the shape of a bird; with a happy chirp, the light disappeared to reveal Rin hovering in the air. She flew up to the top of Kakashi's hat, perching herself on the brim. Kakashi reached up, brushing the tips of his fingers against the top of her head; she pushed against them, eyes closed happily.

"Now then, onto more serious matters," Kakashi said, reaching up to grasp a wolf charm. His face took on the same appearance of concentration from before, knuckles slowly beginning to turn white as light formed in front of him. Slowly it took the shape of the charm in his hand, the light changing color from white to brown, becoming more solid by the minute. As he released the charm it dissipated, revealing a small brown wolf standing in the middle of the corridor. He glanced around, taking in the dungeon before finally looking at Kakashi.

"You summoned me without the staff." The wolf noted, its voice gruff and undeniably male. "It must be pretty serious then."

"You know me so well Pakkun," Kakashi replied, rubbing the back of his neck. "Our weapons were taken from us when we were imprisoned, so…"

"So you want me to sniff them out?" He finished the thought. Kakashi nodded, giving him an apologetic smile; Pakkun merely sighed, shaking his head. He lifted his nose into the air, inhaling multiple times, face wrinkling slightly as he caught Sakura's scent.

"She smells like death," Pakkun noted, glancing over at her, "I doubt she came in here smelling like that."

"Can you find them or not," Sasuke asked crossly, glaring at him; Pakkun raised an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I can," He growled, "The smell of her forge is faint, but it's still there; as for you two, you practically reek of everything else. So even if your weapons are separated, I will find them, rest assured."

"Well then, best we get started." Sakura said, hoping to ease tensions by getting them on task. She began to walk down the corridor, only to get halfway before her eyes became unfocused, her body falling sideways into the wall.

"Sakura," Naruto shouted, running to her side. He grasped her by the shoulder, giving her a hard shake. She groaned, grasping her head, forehead creased in pain.

"I'm fine," She said, giving him a reassuring smile. Sasuke scowled, walking up behind Naruto.

"We don't have time for this," Sasuke reprimanded her, "Either get up or get carried."

Sakura glared at him. "I'm not some fair maiden that needs to be rescued." She retorted, standing up to her full height. She instantly regretted it, feeling the blood immediately rush to her head, body leaning back against the wall; Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Annoying dwarf," He muttered, pushing back Naruto. He grasped her by the waist, lifting her up into his arms with ease; she cried out in protest, eyes wide and face flushed as he slipped his hand beneath the backs of her knees.

"P-Put me d-down," She stammered, caught off guard by his actions.

"You can't walk by yourself," Sasuke replied calmly, glaring down at her. She glared back at him, though it wasn't effective due to the blush spread across her cheeks.

"Th-That doesn't give you the right to…to sweep me off my feet like some damned story book princess!" Sakura stated, arms folded across her chest; Sasuke rolled his eyes at her reasoning.

"If you behave, you can ride on my back," Sasuke offered, looking down at her, "Deal?"

Sakura glanced up at him suspiciously, green eyes searching for any signs of lying. Despite his face being serious, she could see that he was telling the truth; Sasuke felt her relax in his arms. "Deal," She said, looking away from him.

"Fascinating," Sai said; the group quickly turned, watching as he rose from the ground, brushing himself off. "In the entire time you've been here, I've never seen you act like this."

Sasuke pulled Sakura closer to his body, causing the blush on her face to deepen; he glared at Sai alongside Naruto, whose fists were clenched at his side. "You bastard," Naruto growled, "We're not here for your fucking amusement!"

Sai looked at Naruto curiously, head tilted to the side. "I never said that you were; I was merely observing your behaviors for my own notes. All of you were interesting, especially the dwarf girl…Sakura, was it?"

Naruto's jaw clenched, his body lunging towards Sai on its own accord. Before he could even get close to him though, he was jerked backwards by Kakashi; he glared at the mage who stood in front of them, almost in a protective manner.

"What the hell," Naruto shouted. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at him, his lone eye meeting Naruto's.

"If you go against him, you jeopardize the mission," Kakashi explained, "Allow me to take care of him."

"Will you be able to handle it," Sasuke asked, eyeing him suspiciously. Kakashi looked at Sasuke, giving him a reassuring smile.

"You elves have always underestimated a simple mage like myself," Kakashi noted; he ignored the confused glances sent his way, waving his hand dismissively at them. "Go, now, while you can still leave somewhat undetected."

Sasuke and Pakkun nodded, both of them heading towards the door; Naruto hesitated for a moment, before following after them, glancing back at Kakashi for another moment.

"Don't die old man," He called out, exiting the dungeon. Kakashi smiled slightly as he turned back to face Sai, brush and scroll already in hand.

"You didn't attack," He noted; Sai gave him a small smile, brush poised above the scroll.

"I've read that it's rude to attack someone when their back is turned," Sai replied, giving a final stroke to the scroll. A small bird rose from the scroll, speedily flying towards one of the barred windows; Rin shot after it, knowing from experience that Kakashi would be unable to take it down in time. Her talons dug deeply into the other bird's back, an agonized screech arising from it. Quickly she dug her sharp beak into its neck, silencing it immediately; she puffed her breast feathers, beak stained black as she triumphantly watched it dissolve into a puddle of ink.

A slight rustle of paper brought her attention back to Sai, who had watched the whole ordeal with amusement. Her eyes widened as she saw hundreds of birds similar to the ones she just killed fly from the page, all of them headed for separate windows. She shot off from the ground, savagely killing all that she came into contact with, feathers becoming splattered with ink. All her effort seemed for naught though, as many escaped from the dungeons, each of them flying off to alert Danzou about the prison break. She let out a frustrated shriek, talons digging deeply into the neck of another bird, slamming its body into another in midair.

A wave of water suddenly shot through the dungeon, the birds melting in the air as the water hit them; puddles of diluted ink littered the floor. Rin shook her feathers, knowing that since they were damp she'd be unable to help anymore. Still, she flitted over to Kakashi, looking up at his panting form with concern. He merely smiled, lifting her to sit on the brim of his hat.

"Quite powerful for a mage without his talisman." Sai said, catching his attention. "I would have thought you'd be incapable of magic."

"I'm just full of surprises." Kakashi replied, clasping his hands together. A crackling sound began to fill the air, sparks flying around his hands. He slowly pulled them apart, revealing a crackling stream of lightning; Sai quickly drew on a scroll, brush flying across the page. As he put the finishing touches on, Kakashi shot the lightning towards him, aiming directly at his chest. Sai held the scroll in front of him, gritting his teeth as the lightning struck, the force pushing him backwards a few feet. After a few moments, the stream slowly shrunk, becoming nothing more than a trickling current before finally dissipating into the air. Sai panted, hands relaxing their grip on the smoking scroll; depicted was a fierce lightning storm, runes written along the edges of the painting.

"_Stronger than I thought," _Kakashi thought, frowning as he recognized it as a sealing spell. _"Meaning elemental spells are rendered ineffective." _

The corner of Sai's lip twitched upwards as he watched Kakashi stare him down. He retrieved a scroll from his pocket, unraveling it to reveal a painting of two ferocious mountain lions. He quickly painted a rune in the corner, causing the ink to glow on the page; the lions leapt off the parchment, charging towards Kakashi. As they pounced towards him, a sudden whirlwind caught them in mid-air, incapacitating them. Kakashi raised his hands upwards, columns of fire following his movements, eliciting agonized roars from the mountain lions. Sai immediately pulled out another scroll, brush frantically painting the sealing runes; just as he was about to finish though, Kakashi's hands clenched into fists, causing the fiery vortexes to disappear.

Sai's eyes widened as he scanned the room, confusion clear on his face. He looked over at Kakashi, watching him carefully for any sign that could predict his next move. He watched as Kakashi's fists slowly unclenched, his lone eye never leaving his; suddenly he felt a searing heat behind him. He quickly turned around to try and seal the fire, but was only able to scream in agony as the flames engulfed him, the smell of burning flesh quickly pervading the room. Kakashi snapped his fingers, panting as the flames disappeared, leaving behind a charred body and floating ash.

"_Now to get to them before Danzou does," _Kakashi thought, turning towards the doorway. A glint of steel caught his eye, causing him to jump backwards; the tip grazed his cheek enough for the mask covering his right eye to fall apart. He watched as Sai's eyes widened fractionally, his body straightening from his offensive stance.

"An elven talisman in your right eye." Sai noted, looking at the glittering blood red gem staring back at him; around the hole substituting as a pupil was a thin circle, on which three comma shaped marks lay. "And an Uchiha talisman at that," He said, slight surprise in his voice. "Tell me, how _did _you come by that?"

"From an old friend," Kakashi replied. "I see you're skilled with dimensions as well."

"Not nearly as well as you," Sai said, sheathing his blade; Kakashi noted that it was a small dagger hidden inside the handle of his brush. "To be able to transport not only your magic, but my magic as well…that requires many years of skill and control."

Shouting could be heard from outside the dungeon, metal armor clanging as guards rushed through the door. They stood behind Sai, swords raised, warily watching Kakashi; the captain looked towards Sai, seeking his approval to capture him. Sai merely nodded, resulting in the captain waving his hand to signal the other guards to surge past Sai towards Kakashi.

Kakashi made a circle with his hand and, putting it against his mouth, blew air towards them; an icy mist was released, freezing the front soldiers into ice sculptures, causing the rest of the company to halt. He immediately took the opening, large balls of fire forming in his hands, throwing one of them at the guards. It hit one of the sculptures, causing it to explode into lethal shards, resulting in the other guards retreating in order to avoid being hit. He then shot the other ball towards the wall; the stone exploded on impact, shaking the foundation of the castle as a large opening was created, dust falling from the ceiling. Kakashi ran towards the opening, signaling to Rin to fly ahead of him, the guards still trying to get themselves together after the blast. Rin flew ahead, her body growing larger as she escaped from the dungeon; by the time Kakashi had reached her, she had transformed into a giant eagle. He climbed up onto her back as the guards began to rush out of the opening towards them. Rin gave a shriek as she began flapping her wings, creating powerful gusts of wind that knocked some of the guards off balance. Soon she was airborne, high out of their reach, flying off to where Sai assumed the rest of the group was.

"Sir," The captain called, snapping Sai out of his thoughts, "Shall you give them chase?"

Sai shook his head. "There is no need," He replied, "We know he's going to find the others, so our best bet is to capture them first to trap him. Have archers on the rooftops though; if we can take him down beforehand, then we shall."

"Yes sir," The captain replied, saluting him. He began to direct his soldiers to their appropriate tasks, leaving Sai to go back to watching the skies, pondering over his recent battle.

"_What an enjoyable match," _He thought, a small smile crossing his face.

* * *

"This place gives me the creeps," Naruto grumbled, looking down the dark corridor disdainfully. After escaping from the dungeon, Pakkun had located an underground passageway; he led them into it, saying that it was safer for them to travel that way, lest they wanted to be caught immediately. Although he had been right about staying hidden from the guards, Naruto couldn't help but feel as if other horrors awaited them inside.

Sasuke nodded, frowning as he felt Sakura shiver on his back. The air in the corridor was much damper and cooler than the dungeon and he worried that she would fall into worse health, especially without his cloak to give her. A mumble sounding suspiciously like chastisement for worrying about her came from Sakura, followed by a light flick on the side of his neck; he adjusted her on his back in response, wondering how she knew without seeing his face.

Tremors suddenly shook the ground, halting their progress as dust and pebbles fell from the ceiling. Naruto and Sasuke looked up at the ceiling, wondering what it might mean for Kakashi's fate, as well as their own. Pakkun sneezing brought their attention back to the wolf, his body shaking as he tried to rid himself of the debris that made its way into his fur.

"Kakashi must've blown something up," Pakkun said; Sasuke assumed he was trying to reassure them. "He'll be fine though; he's survived far worse."

"But shouldn't we go back and help him" Naruto asked, gesturing back the way they came.

"If I'm still here, then he's still alive." Pakkun replied, resuming his path down the corridor. "Now let's get moving before we get caught."

"But," Naruto began, but was instantly cut off by Sakura's voice.

"He's right" She said, voice soft yet still holding the authority of a competent dwarf. "We need to keep moving. Besides…what good…would we be without our weapons?" She grit out the last part, fists clenching the fabric of Sasuke's shirt as she felt pain course through her chest. Naruto's shoulders slumped, eyes softening with worry for her as he nodded, silently following Pakkun.

"You should conserve your strength," Sasuke said, following them. He felt her smile against his neck as she adjusted her head to be comfortable, a small snort of amusement escaping her.

"Never took you to be the doting mother type." Sakura replied; she smirked slightly as she felt the back of his neck heat up, a grunt of annoyance leaving his throat. "Besides, conserving strength is impossible when you have that bumbling idiot for a friend."

"Still," Sasuke pressed on, "Unless you wish to see the end of your life before the end of this journey, I suggest you at least try."

"I'm letting you carry me, aren't I?" She shot back, almost as if daring him to challenge her. When silence met her statement, she continued. "Besides, a dwarf does not fear Death; when he comes for us, we greet him with open arms and an invitation to drink with us. If Death has the patience to wait for us to finally have our fill, only then will we go with Him, stumbling and singing drunkenly the entire way."

"What a pleasant belief," Sasuke muttered; he felt her nod, cheek resting against the base of his neck.

"Yes," She agreed quietly, "It has soothed many terrors."

Before he could question what she meant, he heard Pakkun bark. He focused his attention ahead of him, noticing that Pakkun and Naruto stood underneath a trap door, a ladder leading up to it; he quickly caught up to them, glancing up at it as well.

"The scent is strongest here," Pakkun stated, directing his attention to them. "I'll be the first to go up, in case there's some sort of trap; one of you guys will need to open the door for me though."

"Leave that to me," Naruto said; Pakkun leapt off the ground, landing on Naruto's shoulder. He climbed up the ladder, Sasuke following after him; when he reached the door, he gave it a hearty shove. Dust fell on them as it creaked open slowly, the door falling to the floor above them with a thunderous _boom. _Pakkun leapt off Naruto's shoulder, landing on the floor as he scanned the room.

"Alright, coast is-" He began to say, but was cut off as black marks began to spread across his body. He howled in pain, falling to the floor, prompting Naruto and Sasuke to quickly up into the room.

"Pakkun," Naruto shouted, kneeling beside the wolf. He began to reach for him, but was halted as the other occupant of the room spoke.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Danzou said, coming out of his hiding spot in the shadows. "If you touch him, my magic will immobilize you as well."

Naruto stood up, glaring at him with pure, unadulterated fury. "You bastard…" He growled. "I'll kill you!"

"With what," Danzou asked, "You have no weapons and your mage is being hunted. You have no chance against me."

"That's where you're wrong," Naruto said, jerking his thumb back at Sasuke. "We've got an elf who can blast some pretty strong fire here! So, unless you wanna get burned to a crisp, I suggest you step aside!"

Danzou looked over at Sasuke, his eye appraising him. Sasuke's body stiffened, every fiber of his being telling him to do something besides wait around for his next attack. Danzou smirked as he noticed Sakura on his back; the action made Sasuke glare at him, imaginary hackles raising in response.

"Well, let's see how you fare," Danzou replied, snapping his fingers. Pakkun shouted, drawing Sasuke's attention away from Danzou, only to have what appeared to be a clone attack him from behind. He felt the wind knocked out of him as he was punched in the stomach, doubling over as his fist curled up. He heard Sakura release a scream and could only feel her struggle to hold onto him as she was taken away. The power from before thrummed through his veins; he grasped the clones wrist, glaring up at him through his bangs.

"_Koron en'naur," _He spat, holding his hand out into its chest. Instantly a fireball engulfed Danzou's clone, allowing Sasuke to catch his breath and stand up straight. He observed his surroundings, noticing that Naruto was busy fighting off two, having stolen one of their staffs and using it as a makeshift sword. He turned his attention back to the real Danzou, seeing that he had a knife at Sakura's neck.

"Let her go," Sasuke demanded; Danzou merely smirked, edging the tip of his blade closer to her neck. Sasuke growled, not noticing that fire had formed in his hands; Danzou's eyes glinted as he saw the fire flicker to light.

"I think you're ready now," Danzou stated, snapping his fingers; instantly roots came up from the floor, winding around Sakura so that she couldn't move. "I wouldn't want her to get in the way," Danzou said, noticing Sasuke's angered expression. He smirked, moving into an offensive stance. "Now, show me what the Uchiha clan is made of, young elf."

* * *

Koron en'naur: Fireball

Ram en'naur: Flame field

**A/N: Sooo, my laptop had a hard drive failure. **** Also, like I said, school started back up. But yeah, we're gonna blame the delayed chapter on hard drive problems. If anything seems weird, it's because I got all the newest software, so still learning it. **


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